McGill Library
McLennan Library Building3459 rue McTavish
Montreal, Quebec
H3A 0C9
Title and statement of responsibility area
Title proper
Blue-black Grassquit
General material designation
Parallel title
Blue-Black Grassquit
Other title information
Volatinia jacarina
Title statements of responsibility
Title notes
- Source of title proper: Caption title.
- Parallel titles and other title information: Title from Mousley: Volatina jacarini splendens
Level of description
Item
Repository
Reference code
CA RBD MSG BW002-638
Edition area
Edition statement
Edition statement of responsibility
Class of material specific details area
Statement of scale (cartographic)
Statement of projection (cartographic)
Statement of coordinates (cartographic)
Statement of scale (architectural)
Issuing jurisdiction and denomination (philatelic)
Dates of creation area
Date(s)
Physical description area
Physical description
1 watercolour painting ; 56 x 39 cm + 1 leaf
Publisher's series area
Title proper of publisher's series
Parallel titles of publisher's series
Other title information of publisher's series
Statement of responsibility relating to publisher's series
Numbering within publisher's series
Note on publisher's series
Archival description area
Name of creator
(approximately 1720-approximately 1790)
Biographical history
Peter Paillou was born in London into a Huguenot family and was recognised in his own time as an eminent ‘bird painter’. In 1744 he began to paint for Taylor White and worked for him for almost thirty years, painting chiefly birds and mammals. He painted as well for Robert More, Joseph Banks, and for the Welsh naturalist Thomas Pennant. Many of his paintings of birds were used as the basis for book illustrations, often engraved by his colleague and fellow Huguenot, Peter Mazell. Paillou was elected to the Society of Artists and in 1763 he exhibited ‘A Piece of Birds, in Watercolours; the Hen of the Wood and Cock of the Red Game’. In 1778, to considerable approval, he also showed a picture of ‘A Horned Owl from Peru’, completely made from feathers.
Custodial history
Scope and content
Drawing of a pair of Blue-Black Grassquits from 18th century specimens [modern geographical distribution: Central America and South America.] Attributed to Peter Paillou.
Notes area
Physical condition
Immediate source of acquisition
Arrangement
Language of material
Script of material
Location of originals
Availability of other formats
Restrictions on access
Terms governing use, reproduction, and publication
Finding aids
Associated materials
Accruals
General note
Manuscript note on front of drawing: Blue-black Grassquit (Volatina jacarini splendens)
General note
General note
Scientific name: Volatinia jacarina
Accompanying material
With manuscript text on accompanying leaf.
Accompanying material
Transcription of manuscript note on accompanying leaf: Aves Passeres Tanagra
- Jacarina. L:SN. 314. e.n
The Steel Bird
proba[b]ly the Brasilian Jacarini
of Margrave.
This Bird I bought and kept alive
a Considerable time, the seller did not
know from whence it came. from the tip
of the Bill to the end of ye [the] Tail is
3 inches & 8 Tenths of an Inch. its Bill
is short & thick. its legs is almost
which the whole Body is of a Dark blue
like steel coloured Blue by the fire.
Except that the Edges of the feathers
of ye [the] Back of the head & Neck & on
the side of ye [the] breast have an Edge
of a pale Green colour. The remarka
-ble characteristic of this bird is
that the tail is shaped like a fan
narrow next the Body & spread into
a fan like shape at the other End
this I have not seen in any other
Bird.
Accompanying material
Alternative identifier(s)
Volume number
Birds Volume 10, Painting 27