Hurlingham Fine Arts

Description

An extremely fine watercolour of a Male and Female Emerald Toucanet [ of the genus of Aulacoramphus prasinus cyanolaemus] drawn by William Matthew Hart (Limerick 1830-London 1908) for John Gould.

Black chalk, watercolour and gum arabic, watermark 'J Whatman', inscribed in pencil verso 'original watercolour 4/4'

The identification of the birds as an Emerald Toucanet from South Ecuador and North Peru was kindly confirmed by Hein van Grouw at the Natural History Museum in London. Specimens of a male and female of this subspecies of toucans from the collection of John Gould were given to the museum in 1881, and it is quite likely that these were the ones that Hart used to base our picture on.

At the time John Gould published his 'Monograph of the Toucans' 2nd edition 1852-4 this species was yet to be discovered. It was only in 1866 that the description of these birds was published in 'Proceedings of the Scientific Meetings of the Zoological Society of London' as 'Description of a New Species of Toucan belonging to the Genus Aulacoramphus Cyanolaemus By John Gould, F.R.S.'

'Male, Bill black, with a small mark of yellow at the tip of the upper mandible, and a band of white at the base of both mandibles except on the culmen. This white band is much narrower on the upper than on the lower mandible, and moreover has the posterior half of its breadth pale yellow. Naked skin around the eyes dull red, throat greyish blue, approaching to violet, and becoming of a deeper tint where it joins the green of the neck. A tinge of blue also appears at the base of the ear-covets, towards the bill, and over the eye, where, however, it becomes of a greener hue. Plumage of the head and body deep grass-green, with a wash of yellow on the flanks. Primaries black, edged with brown. Under surfaces of the wing pale yellow. Tail feathers deep green, conspicuously tipped with chestnut. Under tail-covets chestnut brown, Legs green. Total length of male 12 inches...'
'Female, Precisely similar in colour, but, as is the case with all other species of genus much smaller than the male'.

We are also grateful to Maureen Lambourne who has also kindly confirmed the attribution,' Your watercolour is very characteristic of William Hart's strong draughtsmanship, bold colouring and formal positioning of the birds, As you suggest it was probably bought at Sotheran's sale of Gould watercolours in the 1930s. It is a careful study of toucans for Gould but was never illustrated in his publications.' It is worth noting the Victoria and Albert Museum Prints and Drawings Department (E.3786-1953) holds a very similar watercolour by Hart of the Crimson-Rumped Toucanet (Aulacorhynchus Haematopygus).


William Hart commenced work for John Gould in 1851, making patterns for the Humming-birds and colouring the metallic parts of the bird's. Hart's last published work was issued in R.B.Sharpe's Monograph of the Paradiseidae completed in 1898. Between those two dates Hart either coloured, drew or lithographed more than two thousand plates for different authors of the book.

Provenance: Possibly Henry Sotheran Ltd 'No.9 Piccadilly Notes, circa 1930, containing Descriptions of nearly 2,000 Original Drawings of Birds, etc, with 35 Plates...' possibly under number 1872 'Six Magnificent Original Watercolour Drawings of Toucans, unpublished'.