SNOWY OWL SET

ALIVE AND MOVING! John James Audubon wrote, "...nothing, after all, could ever answer my enthusiastic desires to represent nature, except to copy her in her own way, alive and moving!" True to his desire, and unlike scientific illustrations of his day, Audubon�s compositions were �alive and moving� in natural settings, and life size as well. However, to this Audubon adds, "Merely to say, that each of my illustrations is of the size of nature, were too vague ... Not only is every object, as a whole, of the natural size, but also every portion of each object. The compass aided me in its delineation, regulated and corrected each part, ... The bill, the feet, the legs, the claws, the very feathers as they project one beyond another, have been accurately measured." John James Audubon. Ornithological Biography, Volume 1

THE SNOWY OWL SET $500

The Watercolor Study and the Finished Engraving

RIGHT: This Snowy Owl print, measuring 16" x 24", is a reduced size reproduction of the actual watercolor that Audubon himself composed in the wild. It is this original watercolor which Audubon brought to London for engraving and reproduction. Amazingly, it is still in existence today and is kept in the New-York Historical Society in New York City. Our reproduction of this one-of-a-kind original watercolor is the finest ever made. The comparison of both the original watercolor pictured here, and the double elephant engraving shown BELOW, will enthrall your guests and provide for enlightened conversation. We suggest you frame the double elephant, and keep the smaller watercolor in a sleeve so that you may bring it close to the engraving for a detailed comparison.

Below: (Shown with 1" margins cropped.) The double elephant (26 1/4 x 39 1/4") Snowy Owl is an absolutely exact reproduction of the original Audubon/Havell engraving, produced in london. Examination of both prints will show many differences from what Audubon originally composed in the field, and what he finally authorized through his engraver, Robert Havell. Owning both prints will help you appreciate the immense scope of audubon's work. But we think you will also be impressed by the sheer beauty of these two "partner" prints.

Cost of set $500