Gould, John and Richard Bowdler Sharpe | Gould's final major work

Property from the Carnegie Museum of Natural History, sold to benefit the care of the Museum's 22 million specimens and objects

Gould, John and Richard Bowdler Sharpe

The birds of New Guinea and the adjacent Papuan islands, including many species recently discovered in Australia. London: Henry Sotheran & co, 1875-1888

5 volumes, folio (454 x 354 mm). 320 vibrantly hand-colored lithographed plates mostly after William Matthew Hart; light marginal smudging to "Arses Insularis" plate, else a very lovely set. Publisher's dark green full morocco gilt; some rubbing to extremities and raised bands. 

This work contains the most significant contribution of Gould's young assistant Sharpe, who took over the project following Gould's death in 1881. The work contains exquisitely colored depictions of birds of paradise and parrots, as well as species newly discovered in Australia, making the work a further supplement to his significant corpus of Australian ornithology. 

Gould completed the first twelve parts, and Sharpe completed the last thirteen. Hart, the American artist that had worked for Gould for over 30 years, was employed for this work and the plates exhibit his signature vibrant color schemes.

REFERENCE:

Anker 181; Fine Bird Books, p. 78; Nissen IVB 373; Sauer 27; Zimmer, pp. 262-263

PROVENANCE:

Library of the Carnegie Museum of Natural History (bookplate recording 22 November 1910 purchase)