About this sheet
Greater Bird of Paradise Male & Female Hand-Colored Lithograph, c. 1875
Original antique hand-colored lithograph depicting a magnificent pair of Greater Birds of Paradise, identified beneath the image as “Der gemeine Paradiesvogel (Paradisea apoda).”
The composition shows the spectacular male Greater Bird of Paradise perched above a female. The male is represented with his characteristic golden-yellow ornamental flank plumes cascading dramatically around the body, contrasting with his dark chest and greenish-yellow head and throat. Two extremely elongated tail wires descend beneath him. The more restrained brown plumage of the female provides a striking illustration of the sexual dimorphism for which birds of paradise became celebrated.
Birds of paradise were among the most extraordinary exotic birds known to European naturalists and collectors. Early specimens reached Europe from the Indonesian archipelago without their feet, contributing to centuries of myths that the birds lived perpetually in the air. This history is reflected in the scientific name Paradisea apoda, meaning essentially “footless bird of paradise.”
The plate is numbered Fig. 139 and bears the German title “Der gemeine Paradiesvogel.” It was produced for a German 19th-century natural-history publication and is a fine example of the period's increasingly sophisticated ornithological illustration.
Although the composition is reminiscent of the celebrated bird illustrations associated with John Gould, I would not attribute this particular plate directly to Gould. The available evidence does not establish Gould as its artist or publisher, and the German typography and figure numbering indicate that it belongs to a separate German natural-history publication.
Greater Bird of Paradise
Paradisea apoda
“Der gemeine Paradiesvogel”
Fig. 139
German School
c. 1870–1880
Original hand-colored lithograph
This is an original antique print from the 19th century, not a modern reproduction.
Condition:
Good antique condition with overall age-related toning, scattered light foxing and minor spotting and marks, particularly within the margins. Some minor handling wear is consistent with age. The colors remain attractive and the principal image is well preserved. Please study the photographs carefully as they form part of the condition description.
Period:
Late 19th Century
Style:
Victorian
Medium:
Hand-colored lithograph on paper
Subject:
Greater Bird of Paradise
Bird of Paradise
Paradisea apoda
Male and Female Birds
Tropical Birds
Ornithology
Natural History
Keywords:
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