Jacamars and Motmots, Brazilian Bird Print, Descourtilz, 1944

Jacamars and motmots print after Descourtilz, Estampa 18 in the 1944 Ornitologia Brasileira, a limited Brazilian edition of Jean-Théodore Descourtilz's bird paintings, printed in color by offset.

Four birds occupy a single branching perch. At the top, a bird with a black-scaled back and wing and a bright orange face and underside looks down at a small blue-green insect drawn beside it. Below and to the left, a second bird shows an iridescent green back, a white patch at the throat, a rufous-orange belly, a long thin dark bill and a forked tail, perched with its head turned toward the branch. In the center, a third bird has a blue-black crown, a white throat, an orange-red breast and a greenish-blue back, its very long thin tail trailing well below the perch, the racket-like tips discernible at its end. At the lower right, a fourth bird, rufous-orange with a pale throat patch and a greenish crown, perches on its own section of branch, its bill long and pale. The four birds and the small insect are set against plain paper, the branch rendered in simple unbroken strokes of brown.

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 jacamars and motmots 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, including a small brown spot in the lower right, and light edge wear. Please review the images for further condition details.