Beschreibung:

Heinrich Gottlieb Ludwig Reichenbach (1793-1879) [ Die Vollständigste Naturgeschichte der Vögel des In- und Auslandes ]. -- A collection of ten albums containing about 940 mounted ornithological illustrations, including 771 original watercolours and drawings on 640 sheets, [c. 1845-1862]. 10 volumes, 4° (325 x 250mm.), sheet size of the illustrations 288 x 225mm. and smaller, numerous mounted original watercolours, many heightened with gum arabic, pencil, or pencil and wash original drawings, engravings, most hand-coloured, numerous sheets of Reichenbach's manuscript working notes, some with thumbnail sketches. Late-19th century ?English green morocco-backed marbled boards, spines in six compartments with raised bands, the second with gilt lettered general title 'Reichenbach Original Drawings', the fourth with the individual album title 'Corvinae' [etc.]. Provenance : Heinrich Gottlieb Ludwig Reichenbach A significant part of an important ornithological archive, including a large collection of original drawings by one of the great figures of 19th-century natural history. It is a rare survival from Reichenbach's working library, part of an essential reference tool as well as the basis for his greatest ornithological work Die Vollständigste Naturgeschichte der Vögel des In- und Auslandes . The bird familes represented are as follows: Corvinae (Crows, Magpies, Jays, etc.) with 106 sheets of watercolours and 23 drawings. Motacillinae (Wrens, etc.) with 69 sheets of watercolours. Fringillinae (Cardinals, Sparrows, Finches, etc.) with 39 sheets of watercolours and 2 drawings. Motag. Sylviniae (Wagtails, etc) with 53 sheets of watercolours. Turdinae (Thrushes, Pittas, etc.) with 77 sheets of watercolours. Oriolus and others (Bower birds, Orioles, etc.) 105 sheets of watercolours and 1 drawing. Gourinae (Dodos and others) with 13 sheets of watercolours and 10 drawings. Magnirostres (Herons, Spoonbills, Bitterns, etc.) with 43 sheets of watercolours, 22 drawings. Picinae (Woodpeckers, etc,) with 94 sheets of watercolours, 5 drawings. Platyrhyn Chinae (Flycatchers, Todys, etc.) with 60 sheets of watercolours and 1 drawing. The albums are bound by family, with sub-headings within each album. Most sections include prints, watercolours (a few taken from life, but the vast majority being reduced versions of others' published work) and occasional manuscript material. All the images have Reichenbach's extensive manuscript notes beneath: each species is identified, and generally the orginal source of the drawings is recorded. These sources include images from the works of Gould, Jardine, Gray, Cassin, Garnier, D'Orbigny and others, as well as various journals. In many cases, with Reichenbach's superior scientific knowledge, he has improved on the accuracy of the original: lengthening a beak, altering the shade of colour on a wing, etc. The majority of the engravings appear to have been hand-coloured by Reichenbach as aide-memoires to the correct plummage of the various species. H.G.Ludwig Reichenbach, botanist, ornithologist and artist, was born in Saxony in 1793. He studied medicine and the natural sciences at Leipzig, gaining his doctorate in Philosophy in 1815 and Medicine in 1817. He moved to Dresden in 1820 as professor of natural history at the college of medicine, where he became director of the zoological museum and director of the botanical garden, which he helped found. For most of the rest of his life he remained in these posts, whilst also publishing an enormous corpus of work on ornithological and botanical subjects. He probably first made a name for himself in the wider scientific world with his botanical works, and in this he was greatly helped by his artistic abilities which enabled him, for instance, to engrave all 1000 copper plates for his Iconographia botanica (1823-1832). This combination of accurate description with accurate and pleasing illustration was a key-stone of his success and was to stand him in go