Rock Thrush on a Grassy Mound, Hand Colored Bird Print, Morris, 1896

An original wood engraved bird plate, colored by hand, captioned "ROCK THRUSH." A single bird stands in right profile on a low mound washed in gray green, body horizontal and head up, the long legs and clawed feet clearly drawn. The head, throat and back are slate blue, the back marked with dark scallops and a whitish patch, and the breast and belly strong orange. The tail is orange with darker central feathers, the wings gray brown with pale edges. Tufts of grass grow at the left, small plants near the center and a low stone at the right.

The caption "ROCK THRUSH." is engraved in capitals below the picture, with a full stop. No plate number or engraver's credit appears on the plate. The Rock Thrush is Monticola saxatilis.

The plate comes from the fourth edition of A History of British Birds by the Reverend Francis Orpen Morris (1810 to 1893), rector of Nunburnholme in Yorkshire. This edition was issued in six volumes by John C. Nimmo, London, and the plate belongs to the third volume, whose title page is dated 1896 and states that the plates are colored by hand. The wood blocks for the plates of the work were engraved by Benjamin Fawcett (1808 to 1893) of Driffield in Yorkshire. Each plate combines an engraved black key block with a printed gray tint, finished by hand in watercolor.

This is an original antique print, not a modern reproduction. This item is sold unframed.