Great Cinereous Owl
Medium
hand-colored engraving and aquatint on Whatman wove paper
Dimensions
plate: 96.8 x 64.8 cm (38 1/8 x 25 1/2 in.) sheet: 100.3 x 67.5 cm (39 1/2 x 26 9/16 in.)
Classification
Department
CG-W
Museum
National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C.
Credit
Gift of Mrs. Walter B. James
Accession Number
1945.8.351
Art Historical Context
Behold the majestic *Great Cinereous Owl a stunning hand-colored engraving and aquatint by Robert Havell, faithfully reproducing John James Audubon's original watercolor from his monumental *Birds of America series (1827–1838). in 1837, this plate captures the owl—likely the great gray owl—in life-size detail, perched dramatically amid its natural habitat. Audubon, a pioneering naturalist and artist, sought to document every North American bird species at actual scale, revolutionizing ornithological illustration and blending science with artistry. Printed on high-quality Whatman wove paper, t...
About the Artist
Robert Havell after John James Audubon
Robert Havell Jr., born on November 25, 1793, in Reading, Berkshire, England, was the son of renowned engraver and publisher Robert Havell Sr. and Lydia Miller Phillips. Growing up in a family of artists that included notable engravers and etchers, he trained under his father, mastering aquatint techniques early on. Though briefly estranged from the family business, Havell reconciled with his fath...