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Lot Essay
In this work Audubon depicts on a single sheet three related species of finches--the Chaffinch, Bullfinch, and Greenfinch, rendered here on budding branches with the lively poses, careful draftsmanship, and rich plumage characteristic of Audubon's best work. The artist paints the birds with their beaks open in song, and depicts them with profuse detail, and creating a tour de force of his art.
Audubon created this painting in April of 1827, during a visit to England, where he had traveled to promote the book which would become his lifelong endeavor. That year, he published his first prospectus for The Birds of America, and also engaged R. Havell & Son as the printers who would bring Audubon's four-volume opus to fruition. He also met many patrons for his project, and became a celebrity, in part for his frontier exploits in America, and most notably for his breathtaking paintings of birds. The visit culminated in an exhibit of his art at the Royal Institution in Edinburgh. While in England, Audubon also completed some of his most famous images of American birds, including his heroic Bald Eagle, painted in 1828.
Having met with early success and acclaim in England, Audubon wrote to his friend, the American portraitist Thomas Sully. "Yet with all this, believe me, a dear thought never leaves me a moment. I think constantly of my beloved America and of my friends there." (as quoted in E.M. Foshay, John James Audubon, New York, 1997, p. 70)
Audubon created this painting in April of 1827, during a visit to England, where he had traveled to promote the book which would become his lifelong endeavor. That year, he published his first prospectus for The Birds of America, and also engaged R. Havell & Son as the printers who would bring Audubon's four-volume opus to fruition. He also met many patrons for his project, and became a celebrity, in part for his frontier exploits in America, and most notably for his breathtaking paintings of birds. The visit culminated in an exhibit of his art at the Royal Institution in Edinburgh. While in England, Audubon also completed some of his most famous images of American birds, including his heroic Bald Eagle, painted in 1828.
Having met with early success and acclaim in England, Audubon wrote to his friend, the American portraitist Thomas Sully. "Yet with all this, believe me, a dear thought never leaves me a moment. I think constantly of my beloved America and of my friends there." (as quoted in E.M. Foshay, John James Audubon, New York, 1997, p. 70)