Greene Antique Print Violet Parrot

Dusky or Violet Parrot
South America
6 ½ by 9 ½ inches
GP142 $125

This delightful work of 81 colored wood-engraved plates was printed by Benjamin Fawcett after drawings by A.F. Lydon. The prints are hand finished, particularly the eyes and the beak, and on some there is a beautiful silvery wash applied to the feathers. 
Benjamin Fawcett was one of the greatest color printers of the 19th century. He pioneered a system of wood block engraving from multiple wood blocks that resulted in vivid finely colored works such as this marvelous book. Other examples of this original printing technique are Couch's History of the Fishes of the British Islands and Houghton's British Fresh Water Fishes. Fawcett had an association of some 50 years with Francis Orpen Morris to produce many beautiful works on birds, including the highly successful A History of British Birds. Greene's Parrots in Captivity is an authoritative and studious work of the time and is probably the original "how to" book on raising parrots in captivity. It is full of extensive notes on the feeding and successful rearing of each bird according to the philosophy of the day. The illustrations are very vivid, beautifully colored wood engravings and are among the finest of all the illustrations of parrots from this period. In the words of the author, this work was an "attempt in the direction of familiarizing the public with a most delightful class of birds" Reference: Fine Bird Books 1990, p103. 
The prints are in remarkable condition, with the colors of a beauty and vividness still fresh and vibrant to this day. The paper is lightly toned, and the colors are still very intense. There is descriptive text included with each print and a copy of the title page.