Amazon Parrots, Brazilian Bird Print, Descourtilz, 1944

Amazon parrots print after Descourtilz, 1944: this is Estampa 9 from the Ornitologia Brasileira, the Kosmos edition of the French painter's paintings of Brazilian birds.

Three parrots are grouped on a leafy branch bearing a large brown seed pod. At upper left, a mostly green bird with a finely gray-scaled crown sits somewhat apart on its own twig. To the right, a second bird shows an olive-brown crown, a white throat and cheek, and a breast scaled in red and blue over an otherwise green body. Below, angled so that it appears to hang along the lower part of the composition, a third green parrot has a pale blue-scaled throat and touches of red and blue at the wing, its bill working at the large brown pod that anchors the group; a scatter of green leaves fills the spaces between the birds. The three are drawn close together in the manner used throughout the volume for its smaller parrots, filling the plate with overlapping foliage and plumage rather than open space.

Livraria Kosmos Editora published the Ornitologia Brasileira ou História Natural das Aves do Brasil, notáveis por sua plumagem, canto e hábitos in Rio de Janeiro and São Paulo in 1944. This first Portuguese edition, translated by Eurico Santos from the French original of the 1850s, was limited to 1,315 copies (1,000 plus 315 numbered). All 48 plates are color offset prints of Descourtilz's paintings of Brazilian birds, each captioned "Estampa" with its number on a toned card within a printed green ornamental border.

Jean-Théodore Descourtilz (circa 1796 to 1855) was a French painter and naturalist who traveled to Brazil in the late 1820s and devoted himself to painting its birds; his first work on the birds of Brazil appeared in 1834.

Strong in color and suitable for framing, this Amazon parrots print after Descourtilz would make a handsome addition to a collection of ornithology prints or a colorful focal point for a library or garden room.

This plate is in good condition for its age. The mount shows ordinary age toning, with a few small spots and light wear to the edges; there are a few tiny specks on the image panel. Please review the images for further condition details.