McGill Library
McLennan Library Building3459 rue McTavish
Montreal, Quebec
H3A 0C9
Pochard [male]
Common Pochard, male
Aythya ferina
Cha Collins Fect Janry 1742-3
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 male Common Pochard from a 18th century specimen [modern geographical distribution: Europe and Asia (this specimen is also rare in Africa)].
Manuscript note on front of drawing: Pochard [male] (Nyroca Ferima) Cha Collins Fect Janry 1742-3
Scientific name: Aythya ferina
With manuscript text on accompanying leaf.