Monograph of the Paradiseidae; King Bird of Paradise

Gould, J. & Hart, W.

Summary

Two exotic and beautifully decorated birds vivid in colour with spiral-like tails make up the fore of this image, which is set to a backdrop of rich forest and water. There are lily pads on the river below, a single dragonfly up near the top left of the scene and a brown bird sitting on a large leaf in the middle-left. This hand-coloured lithograph is from Monograph of the Paradiseidae (or Birds of Paradise) by Richard Bowdler Sharpe. It was the first monograph devoted to birds of paradise. It was published in London by Taylor & Francis for Henry Sotheran & Co. between 1891-1898. The original idea was that of John Gould's but it was completed by Sharpe after Gould's death. The plate was origianlly drawn by John Gould and completed by William Matthew Hart. The King Bird of Paradise (Cicinnurus Regius) is the smallest and most colourful among birds of paradise and lives in the forests of New Guinea