Ground Dove
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
1945.8.182
Art Historical Context
Behold the delicate beauty of *Ground Dove* (1833), a hand-colored engraving and aquat by Robert Havell after James Audubon, now housed in the National Gallery of Art as a generous gift from Mrs. Walter B. James. This print a gem from Audubon's legendary *Birds of America a monumental double-elephant folio series1827–1838) that revolutionized natural history illustration. Audubon a pioneering American ornithologist and artist, captured birds in dynamic, life-like poses drawn from meticulous field observations, blending scientific precision with artistic flair in the Romantic tradition. Havell...
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...