Artwork
Perdix barbata (Daurian Partridge)
Perdix barbata (Daurian Partridge) is an ink print by the Romanticist artist John Gould. It dates from 1842 and is held in the collection of the National Gallery of Art.
About this work
Overview
John Gould’s 1842 hand‑coloured lithograph titled *Perdix barbata* depicts a pair of Daurian partridges perched on a pale stone amid low grass. The birds display mottled brown and yellow plumage, with darker spotting on the wings and tail, and long, pointed bills. The composition is set against a muted beige background that suggests an open, natural setting.
Subject & Meaning
The image captures two individuals of the Daurian partridge, a ground‑dwelling bird native to East Asian steppes. By portraying the birds together on a rock, the work emphasizes their social behavior and habitat preferences, offering viewers a glimpse of the species’ typical environment and posture in the wild.
Technique & Style
Created as a lithographic print, the plate was subsequently hand‑coloured, a common practice in mid‑19th‑century natural history illustration. Fine line work defines the feather texture, while the applied water‑based pigments provide subtle tonal variation, highlighting the contrast between the birds’ earthy plumage and the lighter surrounding landscape.
History & Provenance
The plate formed part of Gould’s broader ornithological publications, which frequently featured illustrations by his wife Elizabeth Gould and other collaborators. Although the image appears in his series on Australian avifauna, the Daurian partridge itself is an Asian species, reflecting the wide geographic scope of Gould’s scientific interests during the 1840s.
Context
Gould’s work emerged at a time when European naturalists were cataloguing global biodiversity for both scientific and public audiences. Hand‑coloured lithographs like this one served as both accurate records for scholars and visually engaging material for the expanding market of natural history enthusiasts.
Artist & collection
Artist
John Gould (; 14 September 1804 – 3 February 1881) was an English ornithologist who published monographs on birds, illustrated by plates produced by his wife, Elizabeth Gould, and several other artists, including Edward…
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