A bustard, Calcutta, Company School, circa 1800

gouache on paper with the watermark 'W ELGAR / 1796', inscribed in pencil at the lower left

George Annesley, 9th Viscount Valentia (1770-1844), succeeded as 2nd and last Earl of Mountnorris, 1816
Sotheby’s London, 10 April 1989, lot 15

In good overall condition, light abrasions to leaf edges, as viewed.
"In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective, qualified opinion. Prospective buyers should also refer to any Important Notices regarding this sale, which are printed in the Sale Catalogue.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF BUSINESS PRINTED IN THE SALE CATALOGUE."

Viscount Valentia, after serving in the British Army until 1790, travelled to India in 1802, accompanied by Henry Salt, his draughtsman and secretary, returning to England in 1806. He became a fellow of the Royal Society in 1796 and was a member of Parliament from 1808-12. He formed a large natural history collection and a collection of Egyptian antiquities at Arley Castle, Staffordshire.

Henry Salt (1780-1827), a British diplomat and collector, trained as a portrait painter and made many of the drawings for Lord Valentia's Voyages and Travels. Collecting and excavating he amassed enormous quantities of Egyptian antiquities, many of which are now in the British Museum and the Louvre. He sold the sarcophagus of Sety I to the architect and antiquarian Sir John Soane (see Dawson-Uphill-Briebrier 1995, pp.370-1).

For other bird drawings made for Lord Valentia, see Welch 1976, no.26; Welch 1978-I, nos.18a-c; Sotheby’s, London, 31 May 2011, The Stuart Cary Welch Collection, Part Two, lot 115.