Eriocnemis vestitus (Glowing Puff-Leg)
1801 to 1825
Medium
hand-colored lithograph
Dimensions
sheet: 56 × 38.7 cm (22 1/16 × 15 1/4 in.)
Classification
Department
CG-E
Museum
National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C.
Credit
Gift of Dr. and Mrs. George Benjamin Green
Accession Number
1970.25.8
Rights
Public Domain
Art Historical Context
This exquisite hand-colored lithograph captures the vibrant beauty of the Glowing Puffleg hummingbird, known scientifically as Eriocnemis vestitus. Created by renowned ornithological illustrator John Gould in collaboration with H.C. Richter between 1801 and 1825, the print exemplifies the era’s growing fascination with exotic natural history subjects. Gould’s works were celebrated for their meticulous attention to feather textures, iridescent colors, and lifelike poses, transforming scientific documentation into works of art that brought distant species to European audiences. Measuring 56 by ...
About the Artist
John Gould and H.C. Richter
John Gould (1804–1881) and Henry Constantine Richter (1821–1902) formed one of the most productive and celebrated partnerships in the history of natural history illustration. Gould, an English ornithologist and publisher of extraordinary ambition, built a career on the production of lavishly illustrated folio volumes documenting the birds of Britain, Europe, Australia, Asia, and the Americas. Thou...