Lafresnaya flavicaudata (Buff-tailed Velvet-breast)

Art Historical Context

This hand-colored lithograph depicts the Buff-tailed Velvetbreast (Lafresnaya flavicaudata), a striking hummingbird native to the Andean regions of South America. Created by the renowned British ornithologist and artist John Gould in collaboration with lithographer H.C. Richter, the print dates from the early nineteenth century, a period of intense scientific exploration and classification of the natural world. Gould’s illustrations were celebrated for their precision and vitality, helping to introduce exotic bird species to European audiences through lavishly illustrated volumes. The medium of hand-colored lithography was ideally suited to natural-history subjects. Lithography allowed for fine detail and subtle shading, while the addition of watercolor by hand brought the bird’s iridescent plumage and delicate textures to life. Measuring approximately 22 by 15¼ inches, the sheet would have formed part of one of Gould’s monographs on hummingbirds, works that combined scientific accuracy with artistic beauty. Today this print in the National Gallery of Art’s collection preserves both a record of a specific species and a glimpse into the golden age of ornithological art, when science and aesthetics worked together to celebrate the diversity of the natural world.

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...