Cormorant in Breeding Plumage on a Rock after Lilian Medland, c. 1909
€ 290
Original antique · The actual sheet photographed · Certificate of authenticity on request · Sold unframed · Worldwide shipping from € 15 (rates)
Date
circa 1909
Mapmaker / artist
After Lilian M. Medland
Publisher
E. Grant Richards, London
Technique
Photogravure
Coloring
Uncolored
Condition
Good
Reference
BG-14331-3-21
What the condition grades mean
Excellent
Bright and clean, with no faults worth mentioning.
Very good
Only light signs of age, such as faint toning.
Good
Normal signs of age for a sheet of this period: toning, some foxing, small marks or neat old repairs.
Fair
Clear faults such as staining, tears or repairs, priced to match.
Every fault we see is written in the condition note, and the whole sheet is shown uncropped in the photos.
Condition
Light handling wear to the bottom left corner; minor nicks along the bottom edge. Light, uneven toning, slightly darker towards the edges. Foxing and several larger brown spots across much of the margin.
About this sheet
This is an original antique bird print, a photogravure printed in black and gray tones without added color. It shows an adult Cormorant in breeding plumage standing upright on a rock in breaking surf, seen from the viewer's left in three quarter view. The head is raised with the hooked bill pointing up and to the right, and the white face and throat patch, the pale streaks on the crown and neck and the white patch on the thigh are clearly shown. The scaled feathers of the back and wing are drawn in detail, the stiff tail rests against the rock, and low rocks and open sea fill the distance.
The plate is lettered "PLATE CXLV" at lower right and "1/4 scale" at lower center, the scale at which the bird is drawn. The artist's signature, "L. M. Medland", is drawn into the image. No species name is printed on the plate; the identification given here is made from the drawing itself.
The plate comes from The Birds of the British Islands by Charles Stonham, published in London by E. Grant Richards in five volumes between 1906 and 1911. This plate belongs to the third volume. The illustrations were drawn by Lilian M. Medland and reproduced by photogravure, a photomechanical intaglio process that carries the soft gradations of a wash drawing and leaves a plate mark around the image. Stonham's text follows the birds in systematic order, and this volume moves through the cormorants, gannet, herons, storks, ibis and spoonbill to the geese and ducks.
The monochrome image suits a simple frame with a wide mat, and it works well alone or alongside other plates from the same volume.
Condition: Light handling wear to the bottom left corner; minor nicks along the bottom edge. Light, uneven toning, slightly darker towards the edges. Foxing and several larger brown spots across much of the margin.
This is an original antique print, not a modern reproduction. This item is sold unframed. Any framed or interior images are shown for presentation and inspiration only, unless the listing explicitly states that the item is sold framed.
