Beschreibung:

HAYES, Charles (1772-1826). Ornithological watercolours. [London], 1808-1813. A rare and extremely fine collection of watercolours by the noted ornithological artist, Charles Hayes Collections of his work are very rare: this is only the fifth substantial collection to be recorded. Other examples are found at: 1. McGill University, Montreal (50 watercolours, dated 1812-1814); 2. London Zoological Society (120 watercolours); 3. private collection (144 watercolours, ex-Fattorini collection, sold these rooms 25 October 1995); 4. ex-Jay T. Snider collection (36 watercolours, dated 1805-1816, sold Christie's New York 5 Dec 2017, lot 160). William Hayes (1729-1799) was a bird illustrator from Southall, Middlesex. Nissen IVB 421-422 identifies two printed books, and Mullens and Swann (pp.286-288) four printed books giving William as the author. The advertisement for each of the two volumes of William Hayes's Portraits of rare and curious birds?…?at Osterley Park (1794-1799) informed the reader that the work on the plates had been done by himself and 'seven of his pupils'. We know that the Hayes family did all the work on the text, drawing, etching and stippling, also the colouring of the plates, and that the seven pupils were Hayes's children, perhaps also his wife Anne. Charles is named as one of the sons of William on the title page of The Portraits of British Birds (1808-1816; Nissen IVB 420; Mullens and Swann p.286), and perhaps these original watercolours were part of that production which has either 120 or 144 plates. See Christine Jackson Bird Etchings 1985, pp.133-135; Wood p.503. 2 volumes, folio (440 x 283mm). 115 original watercolour drawings of birds by Hayes on thick card, each within an ink ruled border, all titled and signed by the artist, 7 dated 1808, 3 dated 1811, 42 dated 1813 and 12 dated 1813 (occasional faint and insignificant marginal staining, occasional minor scattered spotting). Contemporary half russia, gilt edges (rebacked). Provenance : William Leatham (booklabels).