Starling and young

Henry Constantine Richter 1821 - 1902

Summary

A hand-coloured lithograph of two adult Starlings standing atop a thick, mossy branch housing four young chicks, each facing opposite sides of the image. In the background there is an old castle sitting on green hilly fields. John Gould, known as the 'bird man', was the leading publisher of bird illustrations in Victorian Britain. Starling is one of 367 plates from his 'Birds of Great Britain' issued between 1862 and 1873 in five volumes. It was the most comprehensive record of British birds to date and a significant artistic and scientific achievement. Gould drew many of the initial rough sketches himself which were then passed on for completion to the skilled illustrator Henry Richter.