McGill Library
McLennan Library Building3459 rue McTavish
Montreal, Quebec
H3A 0C9
Summer Tanager
Piranga rubra
Item
1 watercolour painting ; 56 x 39 cm
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 pair of Summer Tanagers from 18th century specimens [modern geographical distribution: the United States, Southern Canada, Central America, the Caribbean, and Northern South America.] Attributed to Peter Paillou.
Scientific name: Piranga rubra
Transcription of manuscript note on accompanying leaf:
Aves Passeres Fringilla
Fringilla cauda cuneiforma nigra corpore rubro
alis viridibus. remigibus & rectricibusq[ue]
nigris rostro pallide apice nigro pedibus
pallidis circulis oculorum albis. Magnitu-
-de [magnitudine] pari.
Habitat
This Bird is not described as I think
Translation of manuscript note on accompanying leaf:
Aves Passeres Fringilla
Fringilla with a wedge-shaped tail, red body,
green wings, black flight feathers on the wings and tail,
a pale beak with a black tip, pale feet,
and white rings around the eyes. It is the size
of the pari [titmouse].
It lives
This Bird is not described as I think