McGill Library
McLennan Library Building3459 rue McTavish
Montreal, Quebec
H3A 0C9
Eastern Cardinal [male]
Northern Cardinal
Cardinalis cardinalis
Cha.Collins Fect. 1739
Item
1 watercolour painting ; 56 x 39 cm + 1 leaf
Charles Collins was an Irish painter, known for his portraits of animals and still-lifes. He achieved success in England painting exotic birds, game, dogs and dead game still-lifes. He was the painter for Robert Furber’s ‘Twelve Months of Fruit’ (1732). In 1736 he published in collaboration with John Lee a set of 12 large engravings, coloured by hand, of British birds in landscape and garden settings, entitled Icones avium cum nominibus anglicis. He then came to the attention of Taylor White, who engaged him to paint birds from his and others’ collections until 1743. Collins died in 1744, when he was described as ‘Bird Painter to the Royal Society.’
Drawing of a Northern Cardinal from a 18th century specimen [modern geographical distribution: North America].
Manuscript note on front of drawing: Eastern Cardinal [male] (Richmondana cardinalis) Cha.Collins Fect. 1739
Manuscript note on back of drawing: The Virginean Nightingale: Coccothraustes Indica cristata
Scientific name: Cardinalis cardinalis
With manuscript text on accompanying leaf.
Transcription of manuscript note on accompanying leaf: Aves Passeres Loxia
Cardinalis
5 Loxia rubra, facie nigra. L.S.N. p.172
Habitat in Virginea &
in America Septentrionali
The Virginean Nightingale.
(The Hen wanting)
Translation of manuscript note on accompanying leaf: Aves Passeres Loxia
Cardinalis
5 Loxia [The red...], with a black face. L.S.N. p.172
It lives in Virginia and
in North America.
The Virginean Nightingale.
(The Hen wanting)