John Gould | The birds of Great Britain. London, 1862 1873, 5 volumes, one of the greatest works of British ornithology - photo 1
John Gould | The birds of Great Britain. London, 1862 1873, 5 volumes, one of the greatest works of British ornithology - photo 2
John Gould | The birds of Great Britain. London, 1862 1873, 5 volumes, one of the greatest works of British ornithology - photo 3
John Gould | The birds of Great Britain. London, 1862 1873, 5 volumes, one of the greatest works of British ornithology - photo 4
John Gould | The birds of Great Britain. London, 1862 1873, 5 volumes, one of the greatest works of British ornithology - photo 5

John Gould | The birds of Great Britain. London, 1862 1873, 5 volumes, one of the greatest works of British ornithology

Lot 39
28.11.2023 14:00UTC +00:00
Classic
Sold
£ 40 640
AuctioneerSotheby´s
Event locationUnited Kingdom, London
Archive
The auction is completed. No bids can be placed anymore.
Archive
ID 1076562
Lot 39 | John Gould | The birds of Great Britain. London, 1862 1873, 5 volumes, one of the greatest works of British ornithology
Estimate value
£ 35 000 – 50 000
John Gould

The birds of Great Britain. London: Printed by Taylor and Francis for the author, 1862‑1873

FIRST EDITION, 5 volumes, folio (560 x 384mm.), 367 fine hand-coloured lithographed plates after John Gould, Joseph Wolf, and H.C. Richter, dark green morocco gilt by Zaehnsdorf, one text leaf with expert marginal repair, very minor imperfections to contents leaf, isolated thumb smudges, small stains, or light creases to text leaves, the odd plate with a few freckles, binding slightly rubbed

A FINE COPY of what Mullens & Swann call “the most sumptuous and costly of the British bird books,”. The meticulously executed plates were special points of pride for Gould, and his preface leaves us in no doubt why the publication, originally issued in twenty-five parts, took twelve years to complete: “every sky with its varied tints and every feather of each bird were coloured by hand; and when it is considered that nearly two hundred and eighty thousand illustrations in the present work have been so treated, it will most likely cause some astonishment to those who give the subject a thought”.

As ODNB notes, although Gould was not responsible for the final illustrations here (or in his other works), he was intimately involved in every other aspect of the book’s creation from start to finish: “he was the collector (especially in Australia) or purchaser of the specimens, the taxonomist, the publisher, the agent, and the distributor of the parts or volumes. He never claimed he was the artist for these plates, but repeatedly wrote of the ‘rough sketches’ he made from which, with reference to the specimens, his artists painted the finished drawings. The design and natural arrangement of the birds on the plates was due to the genius of John Gould, and a Gould plate has a distinctive beauty and quality”.

Sitwell notes that, although Gould produced volumes on bird species from all over the world, “the most popular of his works is always likely to be Birds of Great Britain’”. In addition to the superb illustrations, which make even the most commonplace warblers and grouse of the region seem grand and even at times exotic, the compositions in this work are especially notable because so many of them depict nests, eggs, and young birds alongside the adult specimens.

As a scientist, Gould (1804-1881) is perhaps the most recognisable name in ornithology after Audubon. Hailing from a modest background, he began his career as a taxidermist and “bird-stuffer” to the Zoological Society, where he was exposed to leading naturalists of the day. His first major publication, A Century of Birds… from the Himalaya Mountains (1830-32) was inspired by a collection of specimens given to the society, and its success led him to focus increasingly on bird illustration. As ODNB concludes, “The sheer number of imperial folio volumes on birds published by Gould has never been surpassed. He was the entrepreneurial naturalist of the 1800s in England, and the pioneer naturalist of Australia”. Mullens & Swann affirm that Gould’s oeuvre is “excelled in extent and beauty by the work of no one other ornithologist, past or present”.
Address of auction Sotheby´s
34-35 New Bond Street
W1A 2AA London
United Kingdom
Preview
28.11.2023
Phone +44 (0) 20 7293 5000
Phone +1 212 606 7000
Email
4FQ.AE2YUKFA@AYGLGHC3Y@
Conditions of purchaseConditions of purchase

More from Creator

John Gould | A monograph of the trochilidae, or… humming-birds [with supplement]. London, 1849–1887, 6 volumes
John Gould | A monograph of the trochilidae, or… humming-birds [with supplement]. London, 1849–1887, 6 volumes
£70 000
The Birds of Great Britain, London, 1862-1873, 5 volumes, contemporary green morocco gilt
The Birds of Great Britain, London, 1862-1873, 5 volumes, contemporary green morocco gilt
£30 000
A Monograph of the Trogonidae, [1836-] 1838, first edition, nineteenth-century green morocco gilt
A Monograph of the Trogonidae, [1836-] 1838, first edition, nineteenth-century green morocco gilt
£10 000
A Monograph of the Trochilidae or Family of Humming-Birds, London, 1849-87, 6 vols, green morocco gilt
A Monograph of the Trochilidae or Family of Humming-Birds, London, 1849-87, 6 vols, green morocco gilt
£70 000

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.