A set of six English 'basso relievo' bird pictures, circa 1750, by Samuel Dixon

Sotheby’s, London, 30 november 1993

The paintings on display are part of the renowned series dedicated to exotic and domestic birds, created by Samuel Dixon in 1755. Originally from Dublin, Dixon is believed to have studied at the Dublin Society’s drawing school under the direction of Robert West before specialising in the depiction of birds and flowers. He used an original technique known as ‘basso relievo’, which involved embossing or ‘stamping’ certain parts of the image using copper plates, before painting them in gouache. These works served a dual purpose: decorative but also educational, serving as models for art enthusiasts and embroiders in 18th-century Irish and English society.  

The first series of basso relievo, consisting of twelve floral compositions, was completed in 1748. It was advertised in April of the same year in Faulkner's Dublin Journal, where the nobility and bourgeoisie were invited to acquire these pictures ‘not only ornamental for ladies' chambers, but also useful for painting, drawing or imitating in shell work or embroidery’. The success of this first series prompted Dixon to conceive a second, this time devoted to exotic birds. 

This collection, also comprising twelve pieces but of a larger format, was mentioned in the journal on two occasions – in April 1749 and January 1750 – as being in the process of completion. The depictions of the birds and the comments on Dixon's dedication labels are directly inspired by the first four volumes of George Edwards's Natural History of Uncommon Birds, published between 1743 and 1751. 

A new series dedicated to birds was begun in 1753 and announced as “entirely finished” in Faulkner's Dublin Journal of 9 September 1755. In the same article, Dixon declared his intention to travel abroad and announced the sale of all his works, with the exception of this very last series. In the end, his paintings and possessions were dispersed at auction in early 1756.