Bidspirit auction | Bolton's Harmonia Ruralis or British

Bolton's Harmonia Ruralis or British Song Birds - Two Volumes with 80 Originally Hand-Colored Engravings - These two volumes with 80 originally hand-colored engravings is James Bolton’s Harmonia Ruralis; Or An Essay Towards a Natural History of British Song Birds . The work was published in London for W. T. Gilling in 1824. The two volumes are bound in publisher's binding, quarter leather, with gold gilt details and lettering to spines. There are 80 originally hand-colored engravings of birds and nests that were drawn from life. James Bolton (1735–1799) was an English illustrator and naturalist. Harmonia Ruralis is widely considered his masterpiece. Bolton’s nest and egg prints are the most desired amongst collectors. Provenance: Bookplate of Thomas Henry Steel; Owned by Professor William Gardner Hale, top British authority on wading birds Paper Size: ~ 10 3/4 by 8 3/4” Paper Type or Special Features: Two Volumes with 80 Originally Hand-Colored Copperplate Engravings