McGill Library
McLennan Library Building3459 rue McTavish
Montreal, Quebec
H3A 0C9
Smew [male] & [female]
Smew, breeding male and eclipse male
Mergellus albellus
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 pair of Smews (the left is a breeding male and the right is an eclipse male) from 18th century specimens [modern geographical distribution: Europe, Central Asia, and East Asia].
Manuscript note on front of drawing: Smew [male] & [female] (Mergus albellus) Cha. Collins Fect. 1739;
Manuscript note on back of drawing: The White Nun Albellus W. 337
Scientific name: Mergellus albellus
With manuscript text on accompanying leaf.