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Lot Essay
This Roman-medallion vignette of birds reflects the mid-18th century taste for bedroom apartments decorated à la Française and hung with the bird-patterned Chinese wallpapers popularised by Parisian 'marchands merciers' and East India merchants. This remarkable example, far more elaborate than most of Isaac Spackman's other known basso relievo works and dated 1758, places it among the earlier period of his bird series.
THE FRAME
A pair of oval frames in gilt carton-pierre was supplied to Edward Lascelles for the Yellow Chintz Bedroom at Harewood House, Yorkshire by Thomas Chippendale in circa 1770 (C. Gilbert, The Life and Works of Thomas Chippendale, London, 1978, vol. II, p. 174).
IDENTIFICATION OF BIRDS
The birds in the present picture have been identified as:
1. Grey Crowned Crane (Balearica regulorum) - South-East Africa.
2. Scarlet Macaw (Ara maccao) - South America. Here Spackman has confused two species, the Scarlet and the Blue and Yellow Macaw. Basically his painting is of a Scarlet Macaw but he has given it a blue tail and a blue head when it should have a mainly red tail and red head.
3. Ruby-throated humming bird (Archilochus colubris) - North America.
4. Eastern Bluebird (Sialia sialis) - North America.
5. Mallard - (Anas platyrhynchos) - Europe, Asia, North America.
6. River Kingfisher - (Alcedo atthis) - Europe to south-east Asia.
7. River Kingfisher - (Alcedo atthis) - Europe to south-east Asia
8. Lesser Grey Shrike, female (Lanius minor?) - Europe to central Asia. Copied from one of the pairs of birds that Edwards himself had some doubts and he thought that they may have been a pair of Bearded Tits - (Panurus biarmicus).
9. Blue Rock Thrush (Monticola solitarius)
10. Possibly a Tanager - South America
11. Possibly a Tanager - South America
We are grateful to Peter Olney for his assistance in preparing the cataloguing of this lot.
THE FRAME
A pair of oval frames in gilt carton-pierre was supplied to Edward Lascelles for the Yellow Chintz Bedroom at Harewood House, Yorkshire by Thomas Chippendale in circa 1770 (C. Gilbert, The Life and Works of Thomas Chippendale, London, 1978, vol. II, p. 174).
IDENTIFICATION OF BIRDS
The birds in the present picture have been identified as:
1. Grey Crowned Crane (Balearica regulorum) - South-East Africa.
2. Scarlet Macaw (Ara maccao) - South America. Here Spackman has confused two species, the Scarlet and the Blue and Yellow Macaw. Basically his painting is of a Scarlet Macaw but he has given it a blue tail and a blue head when it should have a mainly red tail and red head.
3. Ruby-throated humming bird (Archilochus colubris) - North America.
4. Eastern Bluebird (Sialia sialis) - North America.
5. Mallard - (Anas platyrhynchos) - Europe, Asia, North America.
6. River Kingfisher - (Alcedo atthis) - Europe to south-east Asia.
7. River Kingfisher - (Alcedo atthis) - Europe to south-east Asia
8. Lesser Grey Shrike, female (Lanius minor?) - Europe to central Asia. Copied from one of the pairs of birds that Edwards himself had some doubts and he thought that they may have been a pair of Bearded Tits - (Panurus biarmicus).
9. Blue Rock Thrush (Monticola solitarius)
10. Possibly a Tanager - South America
11. Possibly a Tanager - South America
We are grateful to Peter Olney for his assistance in preparing the cataloguing of this lot.