Sparviere, Falco Stanley
1827-1838
John James Audubon achieved his famously dynamic poses by shooting birds and wiring them into position before painting. In this dramatic scene, a large, speckled Goshawk perches high on a branch, watching over a grey-and-white male Goshawk and a sleek Stanley Hawk below. Set against a backdrop of distant mountains and marshy grasses, the raptors stare out with intense red eyes, showcasing Audubon's obsessive attention to feather detail. This plate is from his monumental book 'The Birds of America,' printed on massive 'double-elephant' paper that was so large it nearly bankrupted him.
- Technique
- Hand-colored engraving
- Material
- Paper
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