Calyptorhynchus Macrorhynchus - Great Billed Black Cockatoo
Hand Coloured Lithograph
H.C. Richter del et lith (Lithographer)
54x36cm
Prov: McMenzies Auctioneers - John Goulds Birds of Australia the complete collection Perth.
Private Collection Adelaide
$12,000-15,000
John Gould’s monumental The Birds of Australia stands among the greatest achievements of nineteenth-century natural history publishing. Produced following Gould’s Australian expedition of 1838–1840, the seven-volume work documented more than 600 species through a remarkable combination of scientific observation and artistic excellence. While Gould directed the project, the lithographs were principally executed by the accomplished artist Henry Constantine Richter, whose meticulous draughtsmanship and hand-colouring transformed Gould’s field studies into some of the most celebrated ornithological illustrations ever published.
Depicting Calyptorhynchus macrorhynchus (Great-Billed Black Cockatoo), this plate is one of the most visually compelling cockatoo studies in the series. Richter’s composition balances the commanding presence of the foreground bird with a second figure beyond, creating both depth and a rare opportunity to appreciate the species from contrasting viewpoints. The restrained palette of velvety blacks and olive greens is punctuated by the vivid crimson tail feathers, demonstrating the extraordinary skill of Victorian hand-colouring and elevating the work beyond scientific illustration into the realm of fine art.
Today, original hand-coloured lithographs from The Birds of Australia remain among the most sought-after natural history prints of the nineteenth century. Collectors continue to prize the series not only for its historical importance, but for the enduring beauty and technical refinement of its illustrations, with the cockatoo plates ranking among the publication’s most admired images.
