Bidspirit auction | Gould - Wattled Bird of

Gould - Wattled Bird of Paradise - This remarkable ornithology lithograph with hand-finished color is from the esteemed John Gould’s The Birds of New Guinea and the Adjacent Papuan Islands . The work was published in London between 1875-1888. The Birds of New Guinea was Gould's last great work. Only 250 sets were published making it one of his most rare works. Richard Bowdler Sharpe completed the work after Gould's death. John Gould created nearly 3000 hand-colored plates of animals in his extensive career. Gould gained much of his knowledge by observation and experience and contributed greatly to scientific knowledge at the time. Gould is believed to have done the original sketches for all of the plates. Paper Size ~ 14 1/2” by 21 1/2”