MAGUARI STORK – Ciconia Maguari Temm – Original Lithograph – Edward Lear – John Gould – 1832-1837

Original hand-coloured lithograph from The Birds of Europe. London: Published by John Gould, [1832–1837].

A striking original nineteenth-century hand-coloured lithograph depicting the Maguari Stork (Ciconia maguari, Temm.), standing in a sparse wetland landscape. Drawn and lithographed by Edward Lear, one of the most brilliant ornithological artists of the nineteenth century, and still only a young man when Gould first commissioned him for his great bird books.

The plate is particularly distinguished by the bird’s commanding vertical presence, the finely observed modelling of the plumage, and Lear’s exquisite treatment of the long-scaled legs and feet. The head and bill are rendered with exceptional precision, while the lightly sketched landscape below gives the composition both atmosphere and scale.

Produced for Gould’s monumental large-folio Birds of Europe, issued between 1832 and 1837, the lithograph belongs to one of the foundational works of nineteenth-century ornithological publishing. Although the Maguari Stork is principally a South American species, it was included by Gould within the European sequence under the taxonomy then current.

Plate captioned “MAGUARI STORK. Ciconia Maguari, Temm.” Lower right bearing signature in the stone “E. Lear del.” Printed by Hullmandel. Sheet size approximately 54.2 x 36.5 cm.

Condition: Very good with original hand-colouring which is a little faded to the legs. Mild age toning, creasing, small age spots and minor handling wear to margins consistent with age.

A scarce Edward Lear lithograph in very good, original and unrestored condition.

Cataloguer: Daniel Hornsey of Hornseys, Ripon

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