Audubon Havell Aquatint, Fish Hawk [Osprey], Plate 81 - The Soaring

AUDUBON, John James (1785 - 1851). Fish Hawk [Osprey], Plate 81. Aquatint engraving with original hand color. London: Robert Havell, 1827-1838. 38 5/8” x 25 5/8” sheet, 54 1/4” x 40 1/2” framed. Comparables: Arader Galleries, 2014 - $164,700; Arader Galleries, 2019 - $158,750. The Soaring Acrobat of the Skies; The fish hawk's "dance" captures their aerial acrobatics and the beauty of their hunting. “Comparing the great size of this bird, its formidable character, its powerful and protracted flight, and the dexterity with which, although a land bird, it procures its prey from the waters of the ocean, with the very inferior powers of the bird named Kingfisher, I should be tempted to search for a more appropriate appellation than that of Fish-Hawk, and, were I not a member of a republic, might fancy that of Imperial Fisher more applicable to it.” - (Audubon's Ornithological Biography, 1831).

Estimate:£89,685

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