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ERIOCNEMIS ISAACSONII [ISAACSON’S PUFFLEG HUMMINGBIRD]

Creator: ALPHONSE PREVOST
Offered by: Arader Galleries

Description
Alphonse Prevost (French, F. 1820-1850)
Eriocnemis isaacsonii [Isaacson’s Puffleg Hummingbird]
Paris: Ca 1825-1850.
Single sheet, wove paper, (11 x 9 inches)

An exquisite painting of Isaacson’s puffleg hummingbird, Eriocnemis isaacsonii, perched on a vine with dark berries, original watercolor and gouache over graphite, heightened with gum arabic, inscribed in ink lower right “Troch. Isaacsonii” [possibly in Edouard Travies’ hand], and in pencil by the artist “A. Prevost”.

Provenance: with a 19th-century contemporary blind-stamped collector’s mark “B” lower right.

Little is known about Alphonse Prevost’s life. However, we know he worked extensively with Rene Primevere Lesson (1794-1849) preparing illustrations of specimens at the Natural History Museum in Paris. Lesson chose a great number of Prevost’s Hummingbirds for his Histoire Naturelle des Colibris, suivie d’un supplement l’histoire naturelle des oiseaux-mouches - Les Trochilidees ou les Colibris et les Oiseaux-Mouches - Histoire Naturelle des Oiseaux-Mouches. Several of Prevost’s original drawings for the series found on the following pages. Prevost was also the illustrator of some examples gathered during Duperrey’s voyage of discovery between 1822 and 1825.

More Information

Documentation:	Signed
Period:	19th Century
Styles / Movements:	Other
Incollect Reference #:	618529

Message from Seller:

Founded in 1971, Arader Galleries is the world's leading dealer and auction house of Rare Maps, Prints, Rare Books and Watercolors of the 16th through 19th centuries. Over our forty-five year history we have grown to five magnificent locations in some of America’s most vibrant cities and are represented at the most distinguished antiques shows in the country. We are proud to buy and sell more original Audubon prints that any other firm in the United States.