Traviès, Edouard, and Jean Louis Tirpenne

[Les oiseaux les plus remarquables par leurs formes et leurs couleurs. Scènes variées de leurs moeurs & de leurs habitudes.] [Paris: Ledot aîné (or Berrieux) and London: E. Gambart & Co. (or Victor Delarue), ca. 1857]



Folio (23 3/4 x 16 1/2 in.; 604 x 420 mm). 77 (of 79) fine handcolored lithographed plates after and by Traviès (lacking plates 60 and 79 as usual), plus an inserted plate of butterflies from another series by Traviès (see below); first 3 plates with marginal repairs, some scattered marginal soiling and spotting. Contemporary half brown morocco, front cover elaborately gilt-lettered, marbled endpapers, gilt edges; front joint repaired, extremities rubbed.

Francis Beresford Wright, Derbyshire (armorial bookplate) — H. Bradley Martin (his sale, Sotheby's, 7 June 1989, lot 222)

Fine Bird Books 111; McGill/Wood 601; Nissen, IVB 946; Ronsil 2953

The Martin copy of the first edition of Traviès's principal work: "the plates are simply wonderful and are among the best portraits of birds ever painted" (Wood). Part of the charm of Traviès's portraits is that he places his subjects in detailed backgrounds, which incorporate not only foliage, flowers, and butterflies, but occasionally towers, churches, cottages, and other architectural features; a few show men shooting with dogs.

Les oiseaux les plus remarquables was evidently issued in serial form as a suite of plates, without title-page or text, rather than as a book. Most copies lack plates 60 and 79. The additional plate of butterflies in this volume is bound in place of plate 60; it is likely from the suite listed by Ronsil as Oiseaux et papillons.