Thrushes, Brazilian Bird Print, Descourtilz, 1944

Thrushes print after Descourtilz from the 1944 Ornitologia Brasileira: Estampa 26, a color offset print of Brazilian birds reproducing a painting by Jean-Théodore Descourtilz.

Two thrush-like birds share a berry-laden branch. The upper bird has a warm rufous-brown back and tail, a white throat lightly streaked in dark brown, and a pale breast, perched lightly among the leaves near a small cluster of dark berries. Below it, a larger and darker bird shows a body of near-black plumage broken by a bold patch of bright orange-red across the throat and upper breast, its bill pale and slightly curved; it grips the branch close to a heavier cluster of purple-black berries, several of which are pierced by its claws. The branch itself, with its simple ovate leaves and fruit, occupies most of the plate, the two birds positioned one above the other along its length.

The plate comes from the Ornitologia Brasileira ou História Natural das Aves do Brasil, notáveis por sua plumagem, canto e hábitos, issued in 1944 by Livraria Kosmos Editora of Rio de Janeiro and São Paulo. First published in French in the 1850s, the work appeared here in its first Portuguese edition, translated by Eurico Santos and limited to 1,315 copies, 1,000 plus 315 numbered. Each of its 48 color offset plates is captioned "Estampa" with its number and mounted on a toned card with a printed green ornamental border.

Descourtilz, a French painter and naturalist who lived from circa 1796 to 1855, 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.

This thrushes print after Descourtilz is decorative and strong in color, and works well framed on its own in a study or hallway or hung with other Brazilian bird prints from the same volume.

This plate is in good condition for its age. The mount shows ordinary age toning, with a few small spots, a small surface crease in the upper left and light edge wear. Please review the images for further condition details.