Roseate Spoonbill

1836

Robert Havell after John James Audubon

Associated Names
Robert Havell, Jr.

Artist, American, born England, 1793 - 1878

John James Audubon

Artist After, American, 1785 - 1851

This print shows a side view of a pink bird with its wings slightly outstretched, perched on a sloped brown bank with its head leaning down toward the water on the left. The bird has a long, white neck, a green head with red eyes surrounded by circles of pink, and a large beak that flares out at the end, similar to a spoon. The beak has white and black patterns on the top, which fade into a light blue at the bottom. The wings, legs, body, and feet of the bird are pink. In the background on the left, the horizon is in the center of the painting, revealing a wetland landscape with blue water and patches of green land. On the right, there is a patch of tall green grass behind the bird. The sky has soft gray clouds against a pale-yellow sky.

Media Options

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Artwork overview

  • Medium

    hand-colored engraving and aquatint on Whatman wove paper

  • Credit Line

    Gift of Mrs. Walter B. James

  • Dimensions

    plate: 64.5 x 97.2 cm (25 3/8 x 38 1/4 in.)
    sheet: 67.3 x 100.3 cm (26 1/2 x 39 1/2 in.)

  • Accession Number

    1945.8.321

  • Catalogue Raisonné

    Birds of America, no. 321

  • Series Title

    The Birds of America: Plate CCCXXI

Artwork history & notes

Exhibition History

2005

  • Audubon's Dream Realized: Selections from "The Birds of America". The National Gallery of Art, Washington, 2005.

Bibliography

1827

  • Audubon, John James. The Birds of America. London: 1827-1838.

Wikidata ID

Q65083405

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