Artwork
Buffel-headed Duck
Buffel-headed Duck is an ink print by the Romanticist artist Robert Havell Jr.. It dates from 1836 and is held in the collection of the National Gallery of Art.
About this work
Overview
Created in 1836, the work titled *Buffel-headed Duck* is a hand‑coloured engraving combined with aquatint, executed on Whatman wove paper. The image presents two waterfowl on a grassy bank, the male distinguished by a white face, black neck and green head, the female rendered in brown tones, set against reeds and a muted sky.
Subject & Meaning
The print portrays a pair of ducks identified as the buffel‑headed species, a name placed beneath the male figure. By depicting both sexes in a naturalistic setting, the image offers a study of plumage variation and habitat, reflecting 19th‑century interest in documenting exotic wildlife.
Technique & Style
Havell employed a combination of line engraving for fine feather detail and aquatint to achieve tonal washes, then applied hand‑coloured pigments to enhance realism. The use of Whatman wove paper provided a smooth surface that supported the delicate gradations characteristic of the family’s reproductive printmaking practice.
History & Provenance
The print was produced by Robert Havell Jr., a member of the Havell family of engravers, etchers and painters based in Reading, Berkshire. The Havells were noted for their expertise in aquatint and for publishing works that illustrated Indian and other foreign subjects during the early 19th century.
Context
During the 1830s, European naturalists and collectors sought visual records of foreign fauna. The Havell workshop, already engaged in publishing illustrated natural history volumes, supplied such images for scientific and decorative purposes, situating this duck study within a broader trend of zoological illustration.
Artist & collection
Artist
The Havell family of Reading, Berkshire, England, included a number of notable engravers, etchers and painters, as well as writers, publishers, educators, and musicians.
