French School, circa 1800

Paul Wallraf, Esq., London;
By whose estate sold, London, Christie's, June 25, 1982, lot 130 (as "French School, 19th century);
Private collection;
Anonymous sale ("The Property of a Nobleman"), New York, Sotheby's, 22 January 2004, lots 120-121 (as Follower of Jacques Barraband);
There acquired by the present owner.

On full display in these vibrantly colored and wonderfully detailed paintings are two different species of cockatoo native to Australia.  One shows a pair of leadbeater's cockatoos, also known as a pink cockatoo, a species who received their name from the British taxidermist Benjamin Leadbeater, and the other shows a pair of Sulphur-crested cockatoos.  In both paintings, the birds are set within calm, natural settings that further emphasize their magnificent plumage and distinct characteristics.  Although a firm attribution has somewhat eluded these paintings, in style and handling they recall the works of the famed French zoological illustrator Jacques Barraband, known for his painstakingly accurate depictions of exotic, tropical birds.