59-79090. 59. Jacques Barraband, La Perruche fringillaire

From Levaillant’s “Histoire Naturelle des Perroquets”, which is considered the most comprehensive and complete catalogue on the subject.
This magnificent work includes some of the most lively and colorful bird illustrations ever created. They capture not only the defining characteristics of the species, but also the charming personality of the individual bird.
This exquisite monograph was written by Francois Levaillant, an adventurer and natural historian, who was one of the first to record sightings of Australian parrots. Barrband’s skill was greatly esteemed and his name lent cachet to the sumptious work authored by Levaillant. Barraband’s brilliantly colored engravings of exotic birds coupled with Levaillant’s precise descriptions represent the height of realistic bird art.
Jacques Barraband achieved great artistic notoriety for his work at the Gobelin tapestry works, the Sevres porcelain factory, and the palace of St. Cloud before coming to work for the French naturalist Francois Levaillant in the early years of the nineteenth century. Barraband collaborated with Louis Bouquet and Langlois to create the engravings for this work. The plates were carefully inked “a la poupee” with brilliant colors and pulled from the press. Nuances were then added by hand.
In his work, Barraband often shows his subject in profile perched on a short tree branch. No other artist equalled his mastery in the rendering of feathers, in evoking their fragility, stiffness or incredible lightness. He displays a preference for harmonies of blues and greens, and reds and yellows. The evocative power of these realistic and precise bird renderings, that feature all the colors of the rainbow, is striking.