A Natural History of Birds.

£25,000 · Offered by Shapero Rare Books

the first coloured bird illustrations in Britain First editions in contemporary calf. The first British bird book illustrated with hand-coloured plates. 'Little is known of Albin's [c.1680-c.1742] early life, though he was probably born in Germany to a family named Weiss. By 1708 he had changed his surname to Albin and was living in London with his family. His profession of art teacher led him to the close observation of the natural world, reinforced by painting work which he undertook for the naturalist Joseph Dandridge (1665–1747), who collected insects and observed their metamorphosis from egg to fly. He also drew natural-history subjects for Sir Hans Sloane, before gaining the patronage of the Dowager Duchess of Beaufort', who encouraged him to publish a book on insects (Royal Collection trust). 'For the most part Albin delineated one bird per plate. The birds are placed on a branch or on the ground, each part coloured. The proportions of the birds are a distinct improvement on those in Willoughby and Ray... Albin produced his paints in a rather strange manner according to Petiver's account. For his reds he washed and dried vermilion pigment in four waters and then proceeded to "grind it in boys urine three times, yn [then] gum arabic it and grind it in Brandy wine." Whatever his methods and however singular the contribution by his sons, this very first effort at colouring plates depicting birds is highly commendable and the results were gratifying, for the book was popul

• Binding: Hardcover

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