Lot Essay
The following four lots are from Isaac Spackman's 1764 issue of twelve embossed bird pictures which he made in competition with those of Samuel Dixon. All seven here offered are from the same set as two sold anonymously, in these Rooms, 15 November 1990, lot 12. Lot 4 has been framed differently from the others. This group of nine out of the full set of twelve is as large as any that has been recorded.
As with Dixon, Spackman's source for the images was George Edwards's Natural History of Uncommon Birds, which was published in parts between 1743 and 1751.
The Touraco (lot 1) and the Hen gold finch humming bird pair (lot1) are illustrated in Ada K.Longfield, More about Samuel Dixon and his Imitators, The Quarterly Bulletin of the Irish Georgian Society, January-June 1980, p.17, fig.14 and p.27, fig.22 respectively
As with Dixon, Spackman's source for the images was George Edwards's Natural History of Uncommon Birds, which was published in parts between 1743 and 1751.
The Touraco (lot 1) and the Hen gold finch humming bird pair (lot1) are illustrated in Ada K.Longfield, More about Samuel Dixon and his Imitators, The Quarterly Bulletin of the Irish Georgian Society, January-June 1980, p.17, fig.14 and p.27, fig.22 respectively