Petrocossyphus cyanus (Blue Rockthrush)
1801 to 1825
Medium
hand-colored lithograph
Dimensions
sheet: 56.1 × 38.6 cm (22 1/16 × 15 3/16 in.)
Classification
Department
CG-E
Museum
National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C.
Credit
Gift of Dr. and Mrs. George Benjamin Green
Accession Number
1972.77.6
Art Historical Context
This hand-colored lithograph captures the Blue Rockthrush (Petrocossyphus cyanus) with remarkable precision and vibrancy. Created by renowned British ornithologist and artist John Gould in collaboration with lithographer H.C. Richter, the print dates from the early nineteenth century, a period when natural history illustration flourished as both scientific tool and artistic pursuit. The medium allowed for fine detail and subtle tonal gradations that were then enhanced by hand-applied watercolor, giving each impression a unique, lifelike quality. Gould’s work played a pivotal role in documenti...
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...