Turtle Dove on a Mossy Bough, Antique Hand Colored Bird Print, Morris, 1896
€ 115
Original antique · The actual sheet photographed · Certificate of authenticity on request · Sold unframed · Worldwide shipping from € 15 (rates)
Date
1896
Mapmaker / artist
Not named on the sheet
Publisher
John C. Nimmo, London
Technique
Wood Engraving
Coloring
Hand colored
Condition
Good
Reference
BG-11586-60
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
Even age toning. Marked handling soiling along the left, right and top edges. Scattered light foxing in the margin. Slight wear at the bottom left corner. One larger brown mark.
About this sheet
This is an original wood engraved bird plate, colored by hand, captioned "TURTLE DOVE." A slim dove perches facing right on a thick moss green bough that runs from the upper left to the lower right, with a small broken twig hanging below. The back and wing coverts are orange tan to cinnamon, each feather with a black center, over a blue gray panel on the folded wing. The head is pale blue gray with a red eye ring, and the side of the neck carries a patch barred black and white. The breast is pinkish buff and the feet pink. The tail is long and dark.
The engraved caption below the picture reads "TURTLE DOVE." with a full stop. There is no plate number above the picture and no engraver's credit on the sheet. The turtle dove is Streptopelia turtur.
A History of British Birds was written by the Reverend Francis Orpen Morris (1810 to 1893), rector of Nunburnholme in Yorkshire. The wood blocks for the plates of the work were engraved by Benjamin Fawcett (1808 to 1893) of Driffield in Yorkshire. This fourth edition was issued in six volumes by John C. Nimmo, London, and this plate comes from the third volume, whose title page is dated 1896 and states that the plates are colored by hand. Each plate combines an engraved black key block with a printed gray tint, finished by hand in watercolor.
Condition: Even age toning. Marked handling soiling along the left, right and top edges. Scattered light foxing in the margin. Slight wear at the bottom left corner. One larger brown mark.
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.
