Brown Bittern Ardea stellaris Americana, note left side remargined9 ½ by 15 inchesSLC20 $225 Mark Catesby (1683-1749) was an Englishman of prosperous background who became known as the father of American Ornithology. The Natural History of Carolina, Florida, and Bahama islands 1748-1754 was published in London in two folio volumes. It was the first work to depict the flora & fauna of the new world. In 1749-1776, Johann Michael Seligmann, a German engraver re-engraved these Catesby plates, as well as many by George Edwards for the "Sammlung Verschiedener Auslandischer un Seltener Vogel" published in Nurenberg. In some cases, botanical and scenic backgrounds were added for superb decorative effect. It is from the Nuremberg, 1768-1776 French Seligmann edition of the Catesby prints that we are pleased to present these plates in excellent condition. There is very little foxing on the plates and the strong chain lined watermarked paper is a beautiful light creamy color. The ORIGINAL hand coloring is very vibrant & the paper has a rare, silky quality to it. Some prints are remargined with original paper on one side as stated below the image. Most prints are accompanied by a copy of the beautiful title page and the original French descriptive text when available.
