Lot Essay
The Demoiselle or Numidian Crane and the Crowned African Crane were among the exotic birds that inhabited the remarkable menagerie-aviary house that was built in the park of Robert Child's Middlesex villa, Osterley Park.
The menagerie's walled 'park within a park' was admired in 1772 by Agneta Yorke, who considered it 'the prettiest place I ever saw, tis an absolute retreat, and filled with all sorts of curious and scarce Birds and Fowles, among the rest 2 numidian Cranes that follow like dogs...'. The Numidian crane featured amongst the collection of coloured etchings and watercolour drawings entitled A Collection of Birds in the Menagerie at Osterley, 1779-86, which was published by William Hayes, artist and ornithologist, of Chelsea and Southall, Middlesex.
When Hayes later published Portraits of Rare and Curious Birds, from the Menagerie of Osterley Park, his specially coloured proofs were made available to Robert Child's widow Sarah, by then Lady Ducie (d.1793), to decorate the parlour of her Osterley menagerie. In the later publication, Hayes noted that the 'Numidian Crane' (pl. no. VIII) was 'the most pleasing bird in the Osterley Collection'. Another version of his 'Demoiselle Crane' is recorded with the signature W Hayes, 178 Menagerie of Robert Child, Esq., Osterley.
The menagerie's walled 'park within a park' was admired in 1772 by Agneta Yorke, who considered it 'the prettiest place I ever saw, tis an absolute retreat, and filled with all sorts of curious and scarce Birds and Fowles, among the rest 2 numidian Cranes that follow like dogs...'. The Numidian crane featured amongst the collection of coloured etchings and watercolour drawings entitled A Collection of Birds in the Menagerie at Osterley, 1779-86, which was published by William Hayes, artist and ornithologist, of Chelsea and Southall, Middlesex.
When Hayes later published Portraits of Rare and Curious Birds, from the Menagerie of Osterley Park, his specially coloured proofs were made available to Robert Child's widow Sarah, by then Lady Ducie (d.1793), to decorate the parlour of her Osterley menagerie. In the later publication, Hayes noted that the 'Numidian Crane' (pl. no. VIII) was 'the most pleasing bird in the Osterley Collection'. Another version of his 'Demoiselle Crane' is recorded with the signature W Hayes, 178 Menagerie of Robert Child, Esq., Osterley.