"Banana Bird".

Watercolour, 31,2 x 24,6 cm, vellum, titled in pen, numb. 40 in pencil in upper left corner (few spots, sl. browned and sm. stains on edges).

Good condition. Mounted on Japan paper on edges, Japan paper mounted on cardboard.

The English naturalist and watercolourist Eleazar Albin (active c. 1708-1742) wrote and illustrated several entomological books on insects and birds. This sale includes 4 rare original drawings on vellum of extremely high quality which can be convincingly attributed to Albin. Their style and ms. titles in pen closely correspond with other known works, both in private (London, Sotheby's, The Library of Henry Rogers Broughton, 2nd Baron Fairhaven, 1.12.2002, lot 249) and public collections (London, Natural History Museum, on loan from the Royal Collection Trust, inv. RCIN 929205). This drawing depicts a so-called banana bird or blue-faced honeyeater. It was used as a model for "A natural history of birds" (London, 1731-1738), vol. 2, pl. 40 (see biodiversitylibrary.org/bibliography/62897).