Swiss Chalet Aviary, Perspective, Dutch Architecture Print, Leliman, 1865-1866

Antique Dutch architectural print of J. F. Metzelaar's perspective view of an ornamental aviary in a Swiss-chalet manner, a lithograph printed in soft color from J. H. Leliman's album of 1865 to 1866.

The plate is titled 'Perspectiviesch aanzigt van het vogelhuis' (perspective view of the bird house), with the note '(zie het 1e deel)', see the first part, indicating that the plan and elevation of the building had appeared in an earlier part of the album series and that this sheet supplies only the finished perspective. The building is an ornamental garden pavilion in a richly decorated half-timbered style: broad, deeply overhanging gables with carved bargeboards and brackets at both ends, leaded glazing in decorative diaper patterns between the timber framing, a continuous balustraded balcony around the upper floor, and a raised stone or brick base pierced by round-arched openings.

Two lamp standards flank the entrance stair, and a group of figures in mid-nineteenth century dress, men in dark coats and top hats and women in wide skirts, stand and walk before the building, giving it a human scale, with mature trees on both sides under a softly clouded sky. As an estate structure rather than a dwelling, the aviary belongs to a class of garden building distinct from the villas, shops and public buildings of the album, and its carved timberwork is correspondingly more elaborate.

The sheet is printed in soft color throughout, buff and ochre for timber and brickwork, gray-green for the roof and muted greens for the trees and lawn, with no plan or section. Jan Hendrik Leliman (1828 to 1910), an Amsterdam architect and a founder of the architects' society Architectura et Amicitia, edited the album, gathering in it his own designs and those of fellow Dutch architects. His credit runs lower left and the imprint of the lithographer S. Lankhout of The Hague lower right. It is one of the most decorative antique architectural lithographs in this part of the album, well suited to a garden room or to a lover of birds and gardens.

The sheet is in good condition for its age, with light toning, a few small spots in the margins, and minor wear and light soiling at the lower edge. Please see the images for further detail.

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