Iceland or Jer Falcon
Medium
hand-colored engraving and aquatint on Whatman wove paper
Dimensions
plate: 98.1 x 64.8 cm (38 5/8 x 25 1/2 in.) sheet: 100.7 x 67.3 cm (39 5/8 x 26 1/2 in.)
Classification
Department
CG-W
Museum
National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C.
Credit
Gift of Mrs. Walter B. James
Accession Number
1945.8.366
Art Historical Context
Behold the majestic *Iceland or Jer Falcon a stunning 1837 hand-colored engraving and aquat by Robert Havell, reproducing John James Audubon's original. This print hails from Audubon's groundbreaking *Birds of America* series (1827–8), one of the ambitious natural history publications ever produced. Audubon, a pioneering ornithologist and artist, sought to depict every known North American bird species at life size, revolutionizing scientific illustration with his dynamic, naturalistic poses that captured birds in vivid, lifelike motion against dramatic landscapes. Havell's masterful techniqu...
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...