Yellow-billed Magpie, Stellers Jay, Ultramarine Jay and Clark's Crow
Medium
hand-colored engraving and aquatint on Whatman wove paper
Dimensions
plate: 66 x 55.9 cm (26 x 22 in.) sheet: 100.3 x 67.6 cm (39 1/2 x 26 5/8 in.)
Classification
Department
CG-W
Museum
National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C.
Credit
Gift of Mrs. Walter B. James
Accession Number
1945.8.362
Art Historical Context
Behold the vibrant *Yellow-billed Magpie,eller's Jay, Ultr Jay, and Clark's* (1837), a stunning hand-colored engraving and aquint by Robert Havell John James Audubon. magnificent print, measuring an impressive plate size of 66 x 55.9 cm on Whatman wove paper, captures four striking North American birds in dynamic, life-like poses against natural perches. Part of Audubon's groundbreaking *Birds of America* series (1827–1838), it exemplifies the artist's passion for documenting avian species with scientific precision and artistic flair. Audubon, a pioneering naturalist and artist, sought to por...
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...