James Forbes
Blue Banana Bird at Rio De Janeiro, on a Sprig of the Guava Tree (1765)
Engraved by W. Hooker after a drawing by James Forbes
Original Aquatint (hand-coloured) published between 1813-1835
28 x 21 cms / 11 x 8.5” app.
Non-exportable.
(The work will be shipped without a frame. Framing is available on request.)
*
With an ever-growing global interest in the Company School and the allied art styles of the colonial period - we launch a series of curations featuring vintage prints from this period - signaling a new direction for the Red Earth collection. Who better to start with than James Forbes, one of the earliest British artists, whose musings of the natural world are capable of leaving an indelible mark on your mind - and adding life and colour to any room.
James Forbes (1749–1819) was a British artist and writer, employed by the East India Company, and lived in India from 1765 to 1784. His notes and sketches concerned varied aspects of Indian life, from its natural world to architecture. These illustrations are extracted from his iconic work Oriental Memoirs (editions published between 1813-1835), focusing on his visual experiences of India, but also including observations on parts of Africa and South America.
Description of the Illustration from the book:
"Blue Banana Bird at Rio de Janeiro, on a Sprig of the Guam Tree
The beauty and variety of the birds on the coast of Brazil are astonishing: they are all specifically distinguished by naturalists, but the inhabitants of Rio de Janeiro generally call them red, blue, green, and yellow banana-birds, as those colours predominate; especially the birds which feed on bananas and plantains. The guava is one of the most beautiful and best flavoured fruits at the Brazils, and a great favourite with the domesticated songsters among’ the Portuguese ladies."
*
Condition Report: In reasonably good condition overall. Some tears along the central bottom part, and lower and right edges; discolouration and stains in the work, as are clearly visible in the images.