Pair of Antique French Hand-Colored Parakeet Engravings after Jacques Barraband - 16¼" x 12¼"

This refined pair of antique French ornithological engravings comes from François Levaillant’s celebrated Histoire naturelle des perroquets, first published in Paris by Levrault in 1801. Illustrated after Jacques Barraband (1767–1809), the plates are numbered 66 and 67 and titled “La Perruche Sparman” (“Sparrman’s Parakeet”) and “La Perruche à joue grise” (“Grey-cheeked Parakeet”). The birds are rendered with remarkably delicate detail and softly modulated color, from the deep indigo plumage of the first to the beautiful teal-blue tones of its companion. Each is perched alone on a simple branch against a generous expanse of paper, a restrained composition that allows the color and finely described plumage to stand out.

The sheets show extensive foxing and areas of toning consistent with age and are presented under glass in slender wood frames showing age-related wear, including scattered scratches, rubbing, and small losses to the finish, adding to their antique charm. The layered cream mounts are finely ruled, with a delicate silvered inner line that picks up beautifully on the cool blue tones of the birds’ plumage.

Levaillant and Barraband’s collaboration produced some of the most accomplished French natural-history illustrations of the period. The images combined close ornithological observation with sophisticated color printing and hand finishing. Despite the pronounced foxing, the rich blues remain particularly appealing, while the aged paper gives the pair the atmosphere of an old natural-history collection.