Fringuello a coda appuntita
1827-1838
John James Audubon was obsessed with showing birds as living creatures, not just stiff museum specimens. Created for his massive book 'The Birds of America' (1827–1838), this plate captures the Sharp-tailed Finch in a lively marsh scene: one bird belts out a song from a high branch, while another peers down from the grasses, and a third tends to a nest. Despite the title, modern scientists classify this bird as a sparrow! To create these dynamic poses, Audubon would often shoot birds and wire them into natural positions before drawing them—a macabre technique that revolutionized ornithological art.
- Technique
- Hand-colored engraving
- Material
- Paper
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