Burrowing Owl, Large-Headed Burrowing Owl andLittle Night Owl
Medium
hand-colored engraving and aquatint on Whatman wove paper
Classification
Department
CG-W
Museum
National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C.
Credit
Gift of Mrs. Walter B. James
Accession Number
1945.8.432
Art Historical Context
Behold the captivating *Burrowing Owl, LargeHeaded Burrowing Owl Little Night Owl* (1838), a masterful print by engraver Robert Havell Jr after the original watercolor by John James Audubon This work hails from Audubon's monumental *Birds of America* (1827–1838), one of the most ambitious natural history publications ever produced. Audubon, a pioneering American ornithologist and artist, sought to depict every known North American bird species at life size, blending scientific precision with dramatic, lifelike poses that captured the wild spirit of his subjects. Crafted as a hand-colored engr...
About the Artist
Robert Havell after John James Audubon
Robert Havell Jr., born on November 25, 1793, in Reading, Berkshire, England, was the son of renowned engraver and publisher Robert Havell Sr. and Lydia Miller Phillips. Growing up in a family of artists that included notable engravers and etchers, he trained under his father, mastering aquatint techniques early on. Though briefly estranged from the family business, Havell reconciled with his fath...