Heterornis Sericea (Gmelin)- Lithograph

Click the picture for image
of complete lithograph

The bird in the lithograph is the Heterornis Sericea (Gmelin). Specimens were taken in the vicinity of Macao by Heine. The lithograph is not attributed to an artist but I believe the reference to the Heine indicates he was the artist.

This is a hand-colored lithograph. Other lithographs in the Narrative have color but they were not hand-colored. Rather, they were printed with color in the lithograph process. The Narrative contains only 12 hand-colored lithographs (6 birds, 4 scenes, 2 shells) and they are all found in volume II. There are also 10 steel engravings (fish) in volume II.

Volume II of the Narrative is composed of a series of reports, most by expedition members on the topography, geology, botany, agriculture, and resources of the countries visited.

This hand-colored lithograph is from the section entitled Birds, A. -- Birds Collected in Japan. This report in Volume II was prepared by John Cassin, a member of the Philadelphia Academy of Natural Sciences. Cassin was this country's first serious bird taxonomist and is considered by many naturalists the most informed ornithologist of his era in the United States.

The titles/lettering read:

• On Stone by Wm E Hithcock


• Plate 5 _ Ornthology


• HETERORNIS SERICEA (GMELIN)

No staining problems. Pieces missing on all four margins. Despite these problems, the image area of the lithograph is bright with sharp crisp colors. The lithograph would mat and frame very nicely. Very light text foxing on the face. Paper is on the brittle side. Paper thickness is 9mm.

Landscape Format

Page Size (cm): 28.7x22.3

Image Size (cm): Width-13, Height-17.2, Diagonal-21(ca)