JOHN JAMES AUDUBON (AMERICAN 1785–1851) "GREAT WHITE HERON" (KEY WEST) FROM BIRDS OF AMERICA

Hand-colored engraving with aquatint and etching. Robert Havell Publisher, London, 1835.
Plate CCLXXXI, 1827-1838.
Sheet size: 25 1/8 X 37 3/4 in. (63.8 x 95.9cm)

Provenance: Arader Galleries, New York, New York.

Acquired directly from the above in 1996.

Collection of Dorrance H. Hamilton.

NOTE:

John James Audubon is without a doubt the most celebrated American Natural History artist. Born in Haiti in 1785, he spent his youth in France, where he studied for a time under Jacques Louis David (1748-1825). The artist came to America in 1803 and first engaged in a series of unlucky ventures as a farmer, merchant and portrait painter. But none of these occupations engaged Audubon as much as his deep passion: studying and identifying the birds of North America, which he would draw from observation. Audubon eventually conceived a plan to make his passion into a financially rewarding pursuit and went on to publish his studies into a monumental engraved series.

During the years 1827-1838, Audubon supervised the production of 435 plates for his masterpiece, which he entitled the "Birds of America." Audubon was the first to undertake the unprecedented and ambitious task of attempting to document all the bird species of the United States. His tireless efforts and remarkable talent culminated in this unprecedented success. The most distinguished names in Europe and America were on the list of Audubon's subscribers, including King George IV of England and King Charles X of France. The work ultimately established Audubon as the only American artist who could attract European attention. For many, he personified the New World culture and its emerging independent existence.

Audubon painted the "Great White Heron" during the spring of 1832, while on a voyage to the Florida Keys. His image of the heron was the first one ever produced. When it was released, the picture generated much interest in Europe as it offered an astonishing glimpse of the rare bird. Shown in profile, the Heron here is framed by a dramatic sky speckled with dark clouds. Audubon depicts the bird in all its majesty, proving difficult to contain it to the confines of the full-sheet image. Startlingly white, the heron is caught in a moment of action as it holds a fish in its beak. The curve of its graceful body is mirrored by the shape of the base on which it stands, while the island of Key West is visible on the horizon. It is one of Audubon's few site-specific images and one of his boldest compositions.