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Great Bird of Paradise
Greater Bird-of-Paradise
Paradisaea apoda
peter.paillou Fect. Janvery 1744/5
Item
1 watercolour painting ; 56 x 39 cm + 1 leaf
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.
Drawing of a Greater Bird-of-Paradise from a 18th century specimen[modern geographical distribution: New Guinea, and some small neighboring islands].
Manuscript note on front of drawing: Great Bird of Paradise (Paradisea apoda) peter.paillou Fect. Janvery 1744/5.
Manuscript note on back of drawing: Paradisea apoda Linaei
Scientific name: Paradisaea apoda
With manuscript text on accompanying leaf.
Transcription of manuscript note on accompanying leaf:
Apoda
1 Paradisea. pennis hypochondriis corpore
longioribus, rectricibus intermediis longis
setaceis [saetosis]. L.S.N. p.100
The Bird of Paradise
Translation of manuscript note on accompanying leaf:
Apoda
1 Paradisea; with abdominal feathers that are longer than the
body, and long bristly central tail feathers.
L.S.N. p.100
The Bird of Paradise