Snowy Owl is an engraving by naturalist and painter John James Audubon. It was printed full size and is an early illustration of a snowy owl and part of The Birds of America. It was first published as part of a series in sections around 1831. This specific engraving of the snowy owl, like others in The Birds of America, consists of a hand-coloured engraving, made from copper engraved plates, measuring around 39 by 26 inches (99 by 66 cm). The same book includes images of six now-extinct birds.[1] Art historians describe the quality of Audubon's work as being high and printed with "artistic finesse".[2]
| Snowy Owl | |
|---|---|
.jpg) John James Audubon's etching | |
| Artist | John James Audubon |
| Year | 1831 |
| Type | Engraving |
| Location | In various archives, museums and collections around the world. |
| Owner | University of Pittsburgh |
The plant life backgrounds of this engraving were done by Audubon's assistants and Joseph Mason but they are not credited in the book.[3] The piece was created by shooting the owls and then painting them after Audubon set them into poses. He then directed the production of the printing plate based upon his painting. Audubon included details on the bird itself in his Ornithological Biographies.[4][5] The Snowy Owl engraving was made by Robert Havell. The original prints were printed on J. Whatman watermarked paper. The border of the image is labelled "Snowy Owl (No. 25, Plate CXXI)" and "Strix Nyctea". On the lower left is written "Drawn from Nature by J. J. Audubon F.R.S.F.L.S." "Engraved, Printed & Coloured by R.R.Havell, London" appears on the lower right.[6]
Background publication history
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Though Audubon typically used oil colours, for this piece he used watercolours and pastel crayons (and occasionally pencil, charcoal, chalk, gouache, and pen and ink).[7] His first depiction of the snowy owl was done in pastels in 1809.[8] The Snowy Owl was part of the original edition of The Birds of America (sometimes called the Havell Edition[9][7] after its printer, and sometimes called the "Double Elephant Folio", because of its size). It was printed on handmade paper 39.5 inches tall by 28.5 inches wide (100.3 × 72.4 cm). The principal printing technique was copperplate etching, but engraving and aquatint were also used.[9] Colourists applied each colour in an assembly-line fashion (over fifty were hired for the work).[10] He was able to sell the Snowy Owl engravings to his wealthy patrons as part of The Birds of America.[11]
Audubon described the snowy owl in his Ornithological Biographies, which he wrote with Scottish naturalist and ornithologist William MacGillivray.[12] Part of his role as a naturalist was his examination of the stomach contents of owls. As was his habit, Audubon included his assessment of the owl's use as a food source. He stated that snowy owls were "not indelicate eating".[13]
Critique
editOne art historian described the piece, as an image that depicts the owls as "...gazing directly into the eyes of the observer." The owls stand out from their dark background, as a developing winter storm is seen behind them. Though Audubon depicted the birds perched on the branch of the tree, the owls do not typically use trees as perches since much of their hunting ground is tundra and lacks trees. The female bird is realistically displayed as being larger than the male.[8]
Public exhibitions
editThe Snowy Owl engraving has displayed individually and as part of exhibitions of The Birds of America by the following organizations:
Collections and archives
editReferences
edit- ^ Society, National Audubon. "Birds of America: Extinct birds: Birds driven to extinction since Audubon's time". web4.audubon.org.
- ^ a b Hoover, Bob (4 March 2008). "Audubon's 'Birds' now in flock on one Web site". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Pittsburgh, PA. Retrieved 22 August 2011.
- ^ Burt, DeVere. "The Joseph Mason Project, Historic Spring Grove Cemetery and Arboretum". Ruthven.com website. Accessed 17 December 2015.
- ^ a b "Audubon at Pitt". University Library System, University of Pittsburgh. 2008. Retrieved 22 August 2011.
- ^ "Audubon's Birds of America | Digital Pitt". digital2.library.pitt.edu. Retrieved 27 November 2017.
- ^ "An Audubon Engraving Is on the Block". Architectural Digest. Retrieved 30 November 2017.
- ^ a b "Central Park's Winged Tenants, By Audubon". The New York Times. 26 December 2003.
- ^ a b Olson 2012, p. 222.
- ^ a b "Original Audubon Prints - Antique Natural History Prints - Books - Havell - Bien - Imperial Folio - Bird and Animal Prints". minniesland.com.
- ^ Rhodes, 2004, pp. 273, 389
- ^ "Rarae Aves: Audubon At Auction". The New York Times. 3 March 2000.
- ^ "William MacGillivray". nhm.ac.uk.
- ^ Davis 2003, p. 218.
- ^ "PictureIt Rare Book Reader". umich.edu.
- ^ Willard Spiegelman (19 May 2011). "Birds of America by John James Audubon at Hill Memorial Library at Louisiana State University-The Joys of Slow Looking-By Willard Spiegelman - WSJ". WSJ.
- ^ "Audubon's Birds of America". pitt.edu.
- ^ "Free Audubon Day includes prints, lectures". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Retrieved 29 November 2017.
- ^ "Pitt's University Library System Hosts Second Annual Audubon Day". www.news.pitt.edu. Retrieved 29 November 2017.
- ^ "Birders flock to Audubon's art". The Pitt News. 2 November 2015. Retrieved 29 November 2017.
- ^ "Teyler's 2007 exhibition website". Vogelsxxl.nl. 3 November 2007. Retrieved 10 December 2010.
- ^ "Original Audubon Prints - Antique Natural History Prints - Books - Havell - Bien - Imperial Folio - Bird and Animal Prints". minniesland.com.
- ^ Pitz, Marylynne (16 November 2013). "Pitt exhibits Audubon prints". Pittsburgh Post Gazette. Retrieved 27 November 2017.
- ^ "Audubon's Birds of America at the University of Pittsburgh". audubon.pitt.edu. Retrieved 27 November 2017.
- ^ "Meisei University Birds Of America, Meisei University". birdsofamerica.meisei-u.ac.jp. Retrieved 27 November 2017.
- ^ Webmaster. "Trinity College is Nest for Birders". www.trincoll.edu. Retrieved 1 October 2016.
Bibliography
edit- Rhodes, Richard (2004). John James Audubon: The Making of an American. New York: Alfred A. Knopf. ISBN 0-375-41412-6
- Olson, Roberta (2012). Audubon's Aviary: The Original Watercolors for The Birds of America. New York: New-York Historical Society Skira Rizzoli. ISBN 9780847834839.
- Davis, Duff (2003). Audubon's elephant. London: Weidenfeld & Nicolson. ISBN 9780297829676.
External links
edit- Birds of America at the University of Pittsburgh — with high resolution images of all 435 double elephant folios.
- Meisei University: Birds of America — the complete sets of 435 plates of drawings, with the accompanying five volumes of textbooks.
- The short film John James Audubon: The Birds of America (1986) is available for free viewing and download at the Internet Archive.
- Popular Science Monthly/Volume 31/September 1887/Sketch of J. J. Audubon