[William Conybeare] | The Hyaena's den at Kirkdale, lithograph and poem, [1820s]

[Conybeare, William]

Hyaena's den at Kirkdale near Kirby Moorside in Yorkshire, discovered A.D. 1821

Lithograph, 407 x 260mm, with illustration depicting William Buckland entering a cave with four hyenas and an accompanying poem, 2 pages, folio, integral blank, DATE OR SIGNATURE??

A CELEBRATION OF A PIVOTAL MOMENT IN OUR UNDERSTANDING OF THE DEEP PAST. William Buckland's analysis of fossil animal bones discovered in a quarry in Yorkshire, including hippopotamus and elephant, revealed them to be the remains of an ancient hyenas' lair rather than the detritus of the Biblical flood. This brilliant and innovative work revealed the remarkable possibilities of palaeoecology and won Buckland the Copley Medal in 1822; it was also further evidence undermining the traditional chronology of the earth's history as derived from the Old Testament. This celebration of Buckland's work was written and drawn by his friend the geologist William Conybeare (1787-1857), and this copy is from Buckland's own collection. 

PROVENANCE:

William Buckland, DD, FRS (1784-1856); thence by descent