.jpg?w=1)
Details
Danish School. -- Topp (artist)
An album of original drawings of European birds. [Denmark: circa 1825-1830]. 4 (295 x 295mm). 141 leaves (variously sized 295 x 240mm. and smaller, on guards throughout) with ORIGINAL WATERCOLOURS OF ABOUT 411 BIRDS, some with additional small anatomical details, two signed 'Topp', most annotated in pencil or ink in Latin or Danish, some dated, some with accompanying scale (in 'Tommer'). Modern green half morocco gilt, 'AW' monogram on upper cover, spine in six compartments with raised bands, each tooled with a single large bird tool. Provenance: AW (unidentified monogram, sale these rooms, 25 November 1981).
A FINE COLLECTION OF WATERCOLOURS FROM A DANISH WILDLIFE ARTIST OF A VERY HIGH CALIBRE, including birds from both northern and southern Europe, e.g. the Icelandic Falcon and the Bee-eater. Each is apparently drawn to much the same scale, with the result that the Goldcrest measures 24mm. from the tip of its beak to the end of its tail, whilst the Crane stands 260mm. tall. Some subjects include precise dates (day, month and year) with some leaves featuring a number of birds with dates some years apart: this, perhaps indicates that the dates refer to when the artist saw the birds, rather than when they were painted. Each sheet also bears a pencilled annotation apparently referring to a (?reference) work published in 5 volumes, this may indicate that the drawings were some sort of preliminary artwork for an unidentified published work, or may be a cross-reference to other images of the same species. They have been bound according numerically with refererence to the pencilled annotations, with the result that the birds usually follow their traditional order, starting with eagles, hawks and owls and finishing with waterbirds.
The best of the drawings do not give the appearance of having been based on printed images, indeed they show a livliness that was unusual for the period and have the definite appearance of being portraits made from life. In 1981, the drawings were assigned tentatively to Johan Vilhelm Top, and sold under the title 'Tegninger af Danske Fugle'.
An album of original drawings of European birds. [Denmark: circa 1825-1830]. 4 (295 x 295mm). 141 leaves (variously sized 295 x 240mm. and smaller, on guards throughout) with ORIGINAL WATERCOLOURS OF ABOUT 411 BIRDS, some with additional small anatomical details, two signed 'Topp', most annotated in pencil or ink in Latin or Danish, some dated, some with accompanying scale (in 'Tommer'). Modern green half morocco gilt, 'AW' monogram on upper cover, spine in six compartments with raised bands, each tooled with a single large bird tool. Provenance: AW (unidentified monogram, sale these rooms, 25 November 1981).
A FINE COLLECTION OF WATERCOLOURS FROM A DANISH WILDLIFE ARTIST OF A VERY HIGH CALIBRE, including birds from both northern and southern Europe, e.g. the Icelandic Falcon and the Bee-eater. Each is apparently drawn to much the same scale, with the result that the Goldcrest measures 24mm. from the tip of its beak to the end of its tail, whilst the Crane stands 260mm. tall. Some subjects include precise dates (day, month and year) with some leaves featuring a number of birds with dates some years apart: this, perhaps indicates that the dates refer to when the artist saw the birds, rather than when they were painted. Each sheet also bears a pencilled annotation apparently referring to a (?reference) work published in 5 volumes, this may indicate that the drawings were some sort of preliminary artwork for an unidentified published work, or may be a cross-reference to other images of the same species. They have been bound according numerically with refererence to the pencilled annotations, with the result that the birds usually follow their traditional order, starting with eagles, hawks and owls and finishing with waterbirds.
The best of the drawings do not give the appearance of having been based on printed images, indeed they show a livliness that was unusual for the period and have the definite appearance of being portraits made from life. In 1981, the drawings were assigned tentatively to Johan Vilhelm Top, and sold under the title 'Tegninger af Danske Fugle'.