Bidspirit auction | A Collection of 19th Century

A Collection of 19th Century Hand Colored Bird Wood Engravings - A collection of more than 100 mid-19th-century wood engravings of birds, each finished with delicate hand coloring. Approx 200 plates The plates are printed on mid-Victorian cream-toned paper and depict a wide variety of British and European avian species. Featured subjects include birds of prey such as the Osprey, Honey Buzzard, and Snowy Owl, alongside water birds like the Eider Duck and Lesser Tern, and common species including the Stock Dove and Dunnock. The engravings are executed with fine line work to define plumage and anatomy, supplemented by watercolor tints. Each plate features a printed title at the bottom center in a simple, sans-serif uppercase font, including OSPREY., DUNNOCK., EIDER DUCK., STOCK DOVE., LESSER TERN., HONEY BUZZARD., SCOPS-EARED OWL., and SNOWY OWL. There are no visible artist signatures, edition numbers, or plate marks present on the sheets. The prints were originally part of a bound published work and now appear as individual loose leaves.