Audubon's Birds of America - photo 1
Audubon's Birds of America - photo 2
Audubon's Birds of America - photo 3

Audubon's Birds of America

Lot 148
19.10.2023 10:00UTC -05:00
Classic
Sold
$ 47 880
AuctioneerCHRISTIE'S
Event locationUSA, New York
Archive
The auction is completed. No bids can be placed anymore.
Archive
ID 1032800
Lot 148 | Audubon's Birds of America
Estimate value
$ 40 000 – 60 000
AUDUBON, John James (1785–1851). The Birds of America, from Drawings Made in the United States and their Territories. New York: J.J. Audubon; Philadelphia: J.B. Chevalier, [1839-], 1840-1844.

First octavo edition of Audubon's masterwork; with 500 hand-colored plates. Following the success of his original 1827-1838 double-elephant folio edition of Birds, John James Audubon created 65 new drawings for this compact octavo edition, bringing the number of plates to 500 and widening the work’s global audience. "The octavo edition of Audubon’s Birds was probably the greatest commercial success of any color plate book issued in 19th-century America. While Audubon had become internationally famous in the course of producing the double-elephant folio edition of Birds in London between 1826 and 1839, it was this octavo version, issued at $100, which achieved widespread circulation and brought the work into the homes of many well-to-do Americans" (Stamped with a National Character). The accompanying text is a revision of the Ornithological Biography, rearranged according to Audubon’s "A Synopsis of the Birds of North America" (1839). Ayer/Zimmer, p. 22; Bennett, p. 5; McGill/Wood, p. 208; Nissen IVB 51; Sabin 2364; Stamped with a National Character 34.

Seven volumes, royal octavo (260 x 163mm). Subscribers’ list present in each volume. 504 hand-colored lithographic plates (of 500, including 4 duplicates) after Audubon’s drawings from nature by W.E. Hitchcock, R. Trembly and others, printed and colored by J.T. Bowen, with wood-engraved anatomical illustrations in-text (without half-titles, a little foxing mostly to text but occasionally to plates, few instances of light offsetting from text to plates, occasional small tears to tissue guards, cloth bookmarks all present but detached, pl.120 with some finger smudging, pl.336 misplaced after p.296, some marking along fore-edge of pl. 491 not affecting illustration, gutter discoloration on vol. 7 Subscriber’s List, duplicates of pl. 401 (after p.360), pl. 471-472 (after p.280), and pl. 491 (after p.352)). Contemporary morocco gilt, all edges gilt (spines a little sunned, light scuffing to joints and extremities, text blocks cracked in a few places, a little discoloration to endpapers at turn-ins). Provenance: "CWW" (mid 20th century bookplates in each volume).
Artist:John James Audubon (1785 - 1851)
Place of origin:USA
Auction house category:Printed books
Address of auction CHRISTIE'S
20 Rockefeller Plaza
10020 New York
USA
Preview
14.10.2023 10:00 – 17:00
15.10.2023 13:00 – 17:00
16.10.2023 10:00 – 17:00
17.10.2023 10:00 – 17:00
18.10.2023 10:00 – 17:00
Phone +1 212 636 2000
Fax +1 212 636 4930
Email
4FQ.AYGKAGLUQ@FO3G@
Conditions of purchaseConditions of purchase
Shipping Postal service
Courier service
pickup by yourself
Payment methods Wire Transfer
Business hoursBusiness hours
Mo 09:30 – 17:00   
Tu 09:30 – 17:00   
We 09:30 – 17:00   
Th 09:30 – 17:00   
Fr 09:30 – 17:00   
Sa closed
Su closed

More from Creator

The Birds and The Quadrupeds
The Birds and The Quadrupeds
$100
The Birds and The Quadrupeds
The Birds and The Quadrupeds
$8 000
Carbonated Warbler, original manuscript
Carbonated Warbler, original manuscript
$100
Glossy Ibis
Glossy Ibis
$100
Birds of America
Birds of America
$100
The Quadrupeds of North America, in original parts
The Quadrupeds of North America, in original parts
$100
Ornithological Biography
Ornithological Biography
$100
Frigate Pelican
Frigate Pelican
$3 200

Related terms

Frequently asked questions

First of all, you should register to be able to purchase at auction. After confirming your email address, enter your personal information in your user profile, such as your first name, last name, and mail address. Choose a lot from the upcoming auction and the maximum amount you want to place on it. After confirmation of your choice, we will send your application by e-mail to the appropriate auction house. If the auction house accepts a request, it will participate in the auction. You can view the current status of a bid at any time in your personal account in the "Bids" section.
Auctions are performed by auction houses and each of the auction houses describes their terms of auction. You can see the texts in the section "Auction information".
The results of the auction are published within a few days after the end of the auction. In the top menu of the site, find the tab "Auctions". Click on it and you will be on the auction catalog page, where you can easily find the category "Results". After opening it, select the desired auction from the list, enter and view the current status of the interested lot.
The information about the auction winners is confidential. The auction winner will receive a direct notification from the auction house responsible with instructions for further action: an invoice for payment and the manner in which the goods will be received.
Each of the auction houses has its own payment policy for the won lots. All auction houses accept bank transfers, most of them accept credit card payments. In the near future you will find detailed information for each case in the section "Auction information" on the page of the auction catalog and the lot.
Shipment of the won lot depends on its size. Small items can be delivered by post. Larger lots are sent by courier. Employees of the auction houses will offer you a wide range to choose from.
No. The archive serves as a reference for the study of auction prices, photographs and descriptions of works of art.