Grey-headed Duck

Peter Brown

Published by London, 1776

About this Item

This originally hand-colored engraving is from Peter Brown's "New Illustrations of Zoology, Containing fifty coloured plates of new, curious, and non-descript birds, with a few quadrupeds, reptiles, and insects. Together with a short and scientific description of the same." The title reads in French, "Nouvelles Illustrations de Zoologie, Contenant Cinquante Planches Enluminà es d'Oiseaux Curieux, Et Qui Non à tàs Jamais Descrits, Et Quelques de Quadrupà des, de Reptiles Et d'Insectes, Avec de Courtes Descriptions Systà matiques)". This is the first edition published in London by Benjamin Wright in 1776. The engravings were printed by William Bowyer and John Nichols. --- The engravings will typically include a text page that features titles and text in parallel French and English. Most of the engravings from the work also show the signature P. Brown or Peter Brown. Some of the plates from it are dated to early 1775. --- Brown based his drawings upon the collections of Marmaduke Tunstall, Thomas Pennant, the Royal Museum, and the Royal Society. His work also included 20 plates based upon drawings by Pieter Cornelis de Bevere, a native of Ceylon (Sri Lanka), who observed the collection of John Gideon Loten, Ceylon's Dutch East India administrator. Thomas Pennant contributed most of the text for the work. There are animals illustrated in the work from South Carolina, Florida, Surinam, Brazil, Jamaica, Angola, Ceylon (Sri Lanka), and Java. --- The work is in very good to excellent condition. There may be occasional marks or fox marks to the engravings from this work. There may be a few minor marks or imperfections to be expected with age. Please review the image carefully for condition and contact us with any questions. --- Paper Size ~ 9" by 11 1/2". Seller Inventory # brown-zoology042

Bibliographic Details

Title: Grey-headed Duck

Publisher: London

Publication Date: 1776

Condition: Fine

Edition: 1st Edition