Oiseaux brillians de Brésil

Oiseaux brillians de Brésil
by Jean Théodore Descourtilz

A true facsimile edition of all 60 hand-coloured lithographic plates plus index page. The edition is cased in an beautiful and
elegant hand-crafted Solander box covered in a special dark green linen and embossed on the cover in gold.

Technical information
Paris, 1834
Paper Size:
folio size (463 x293 cm) as the original lithographs
Content: 1 content/index page with all titles of the prints
60 plates after Jean Théodore Descourtilz , lithographed by “de Callier”
Solander box: all prints in a special made Solander box

The most beautiful of bird books.

Jean Théodore Descourtilz was a French doctor, artist and ornithologist whose love affair with the wilds of Brazil led to his premature death of a tropical illness. He was the son of MichelÉtienne Descourtilz, a well known traveler, writer and botanist whose great work on the Antillean flora was embellished by 600 colored engravings, the originals for which were designed and drawn by his gifted son. The younger Descourtilz used his expertise as a botanical artist to enhance his pictures of Brazilian birds and his ornithological depictions are highly distinctive and exceptionally beautiful.

Descourtilz's first ornithological book, Oiseaux brillans du Brésil (Paris[ca.1834]) is even more attractive and much rarer than his more known book: “Ornithologie brésilliene; ou, Histoire des oiseaux du Brésil remarquables par leur plumage, leur chant, ou leurs habitudes”. This first book is illustrated with 60 folio hand-colored lithographs instead of chromolithographs as the second book and was produced in France. Most plates depicted a single species. There are almost certainly less than 10 complete, or nearly complete copies left. A Bradley Martin copy lacking one plate fetched $121,000 at auction.

According to the Sotheby's catalog, there were only four copies known, two of which had the complete complement of 60 plates. This is amongst the most beautiful of bird books.

Heritage Editions BV is proud to introduce a Fine Art Facsimile Edition of the complete Descourtilz ‘Oiseaux brillians de Brésil” with all 60 plates. The Heritage Editions , is the only authentic facsimile of the work of Descourtilz. They are taken from the original copies held in the libraries of Teylers Museum (Netherlands). These facsimiles are absolutely faithful to the original copies, being of the same size, and virtually indistinguishable from the originals. Hence, they are of great archival value, and are in any case rare prints in their own right because produced in a small quantity. It constitutes the faithful

reproduction of a lithographic plate in all its detail, using methods of printing and craftsmanship, perfectly reflecting the shading of individual tones of colour and lines. Heritage Editions attaches great importance to the materials resistance to ageing, so that both value and durability of our edition may be considered as virtually unlimited. Preservation, reproduction, and faithful documentation are the goals we strive to achieve with every work we produce. The paper we use is 268 g/m mat archival acid-free art paper. The printing is so accurate that from behind glass, the naked eye is unable to distinguish the original from the facsimile. . Each facsimile has it all: every incredibly fine line detail of every lithographic plate; every delicate watercolor brushstroke of every original ; even the subtle signs of character and patina the paper shows after 150 years.

Strictly limited Edition of 250 copies.

The edition will be limited to two hundred and fifty complete sets in Solander boxes, numbered 1/250 to 250/250, with an additional five boxes hors de commerce, numbered HC I/V to HC V/V.

Return Guarantee

We know that our facsimiles are perfect – but we know that you won’t know this until you see one for yourself. So, if you’re not perfectly satisfied with this portfolio we’ve made for you, you can return it to us within thirty days in its original perfect condition and packed in its original shipping container . We’ll credit back to you the full purchase price of the portfolio you return. You will only be responsible for return shipping costs.

Hand-crafted Solander-box with gold lettering

The complete set will be cased in an elegant hand-crafted Solander-box covered in a special dark red linen and embossed on the cover with the title in gold.

Certificate of Authenticity

Every box is accompanied with a certificate of authenticity. It provides information about Copyright ownership, print title & size, media, limited edition size, number in the limited edition (example 15/250), release date, printer studio name, publisher name (in different from the artist's name), etc. The certificate gives you as buyer a guaranty of quality standards and it adds fine art value. Delivery time 4 weeks.

Delivery time.

As the box will be made on demand by Holland’s best professional bookbinder we must ask for a delivery time of 4 weeks after receiving your payment.