Margaretha Barbara Dietzsch | A fine album of ornithological watercolours, eighteenth century

Margaretha Barbara Dietzsch

A fine album of ornithological watercolours. French, eighteenth century

Folio (495 x 345mm.), 20 fine watercolour and gouache drawings on vellum, mounted, typically 290 x 210mm., A FINE CATHEDRAL BINDING BY SIMIER, straight-grained purple morocco gilt, richly gilt, central arms of Charles X (Oliver 2498 fer 4) within an architectural centre-piece surrounded by a wide border of foliate design with crowned monogram corner-pieces (Olivier 2498 fer 9), spine similarly gilt, with title "Les Oiseaux", occasional minor spotting

A WONDERFUL COLLECTION OF JEWEL-LIKE DRAWINGS, SUMPTUOUSLY BOUND AND WITH A DISTINGUISHED ROYAL PROVENANCE.

Margaretha Barbara Dietzsch (1726-1795) was the youngest daughter of the painter and engraver Johann Israel (1681-1754), and a student of her sister Barbara Regina (1706-1783), whose drawings are very similar. The whole family was of an artistic persuasion. Margaretha also had four brothers were active in the field of flower and other natural history drawing. Ornithological paintings by Dietzsch are extremely rare on the market.

PROVENANCE:

Charles X of France, arms and crowned monograms on binding