 The Scrapbook16th - 19th century antique and decorative prints & maps |
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Whales | |
 The Beluga or White Whale
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Hand colored steel engravings by William H. Lizars, issued in 1835 as
part of Sir William Jardine’s the Naturalist
Library. |
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 The Lesser Rorqual Whale
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William Home Lizars (1788 - 1859) was an eminent Scottish engraver and painter of topographical views, decorative and historical subjects. The natural history engravings of W. H. Lizars rank among the finest of the early nineteenth century. Training at the Trustee’s Academy of Edinburgh, Lizars quickly gained a strong reputation for his graphic work in all fields. From 1820, however, he concentrated almost solely upon the field for which he is best remembered, natural history subjects. Whether his work is in the field of delicate miniature engravings, such as this example, or in his large plates for Audubon’s Birds of America, his reputation as one of the finest naturalist engravers in the history of the art stands unchallenged. | |
 The Narwhall WhaleThe Narwhall Whale |
The Naturalist Library:
One of the finest and most thorough studies of
natural history in the nineteenth century fell under the direction of
Sir William Jardine. As editor of the Naturalists Library, Jardine
commissioned experts throughout Europe to write individual volumes on
their fields of animal studies. Between 1833 and 1842 a total of forty
superb volumes were published on fish, insects, reptiles, birds and
mammals. But perhaps the greatest accomplishment of this nine-year
undertaking was that each book contained at least thirty splendid
engravings by W. H. Lizars. These engravings -- some introducing newly
discovered species, others portraying now extinct animals -- have for
over a century and a half been considered to be among the finest
pictorial representations of their kind. The engravings were always
colored by artists before publication. |
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 The Great Northern Rorqual Whale
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 The Spermaceti Whale
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Scrapbook 34 Main St. Essex, Massachusetts 01929 Tel:
978-768-7922
email:
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