Parrot by Barraband

Jacques Barraband's Perroquets

These incredible parrot prints come from the first edition, large paper copy of the very famous work by Francois Levaillant entitled Histoire Naturelle des Perroquets. Published in Paris between 1801 and 1805, this work is now known as one of the finest bird-books of all time. Perroquets gained its fame primarily through its highly talented artist, Jacques Barraband. Barraband created the original drawings for the work which contain such fine detail and marvelous beauty that it is difficult to tell that the print is not the real bird itself. The parrot's eyes seem to stare at you while the feathers seem real to the touch. Another amazing aspect of the plates is that they are primarily printed in color - a remarkable feat for the early 1800s. The French master, Langlois developed a superb technique to print in color called "a la poupee." After the printing process was complete, each plate was carefully highlighted by hand. In addition to working with Barraband, Langlois was also responsible for helping to produce many of Redoute's famous works.