Eucephala caerulea (Blue-chinned Sapphire)

Art Historical Context

This hand-colored lithograph captures the Blue-chinned Sapphire, a striking hummingbird species known for its iridescent plumage. Created by John Gould, the renowned 19th-century ornithologist and illustrator, in collaboration with H.C. Richter, the work exemplifies the detailed natural history prints that brought exotic birds to European audiences during the early 1800s. The image highlights the bird’s shimmering blue-green throat and delicate form, rendered with scientific precision and artistic sensitivity. Gould and Richter frequently employed lithography for its ability to reproduce fine...

About the Artist

John Gould and H.C. Richter

John Gould (1804–1881) and Henry Constantine Richter (1821–1902) formed one of the most productive and celebrated partnerships in the history of natural history illustration. Gould, an English ornithologist and publisher of extraordinary ambition, built a career on the production of lavishly illustrated folio volumes documenting the birds of Britain, Europe, Australia, Asia, and the Americas. Thou...