ANTIQUE ENGRAVING SEPP & NOZEMAN BLACK BIRD Ca. 1770 Turdus Ater Merula
Item History & Price
| Reference Number: Avaluer:59571590 | Originality: Original |
| Date of Creation: Pre-1800 | Medium: Engraving |
| Subject: Animals | Color: Black |
ANTIQUE ENGRAVING SEPP & NOZEMAN BLACK BIRD Ca.1770 Turdus ater MerulaCommon Blackbird-Turdus ater MerulaThis antique engraving/print measures approximately 14 1/4 inches wide by 20 1/2 inches tall and is framed in an elegant distressed gold gilt frame measuring 15 inches wide by 21 1/2 inches tall. The paper shows foxing/discoloration consistent with the age of the piece. No rips or tears. This is an authentic 18th Century print, rather than a copy. Professionally framed by Kym Mason ...Ltd. in Pittsburgh, PA. Please examine photographs for additional details and information.This antique engraving is from an exceedingly rare and highly prized work, Nozeman’s 'Nederlandsche Vogelen' 1770-1829Cornelius Nozeman, (1721-1786) a Dutch minister of the Remonstrant church and an ornithologist provided the inspiration for this finest Dutch work on ornithology and one of the greatest of all time. It was a unique collaborative effort of two Dutch masters, and a project of huge scope and ambition, taking over 60 years to complete. The renowned engraver & artist, Christiaan Sepp drew the illustrations & Nozeman wrote the text for the first two volumes.The first volume was published by Sepp's son, Jan Christiaan, a bookseller with a strong background in natural history & engraving. In 1775, Christiaan Sepp died & Jan Christiaan completed the second volume. In 1786 Nozeman died, with most of the descriptions for the second volume written (published in 1789). Thus, it was the first two volumes which were directly created by these renowned ornithologists, artists & engravers.Martinus Houttuyn continued the work for the third volume (published in 1797). Houttuyn died in 1798, and it was not until 1809 that the fourth volume was published, without the name of the writer. Interestingly enough, the whole venture was completed in 1829 by Jan Sepp, the son of Jan Christiaan with assistance from Coenraad Jacob Temminck. Thus, three generations of the illustrious Sepp family were involved in this project of six decades, a truly remarkable feat.This super-sized, hand coloured copper plate engraving, superbly composed and meticulously engraved and hand colored were an expensive proposition indeed. Upon the final publication, it was the costliest book ever published, selling for 525 Dutch Florins in 1829 or over $6, 000 in today’s currency, a great sum at that time let alone now.References: Fine Bird Books p. 129; Classic Natural History Prints p. 20-23.Shipped with USPS Priority Mail.
