London, The Linnean Society of London, 1870. Folio (29.2 x 24.2 cm). Single, lithographed leaf - finely coloured by hand. In cardboard frame (35.0 x 24.0 cm).

A fine, large, originally hand-coloured illustration by the famous Dutch bird illustrator John Gerrard Keulemans (1842-1912), showing the vegetarian finch, Camarhynchus variegatus Sclater and Salvin, 1870 (male and female), and in fact the type specimens of this famous bird - being one of the "Darwin finches" of the Galapagos islands, and perhaps better known as Platyspiza crassirostris (John Gould, 1837). Keulemans is widely regarded as the best bird painter of his time, if not the best ever. Published in the Society's Transactions (Vol. 9), the leading zoological series in the 19th century, and one of the very few published in this large format. A few taches de beauté, underscoring its authenticity, left edge a bit irregular, otherwise an excellent, clean copy. The printing and colouring accurate, natural, and strong. Keulemans, T. and J. Coldewey (1982). Feathers to Brush. The Victorian Bird Artist John Gerrard Keulemans 1842-1912.