Edouard Traviès (1809-1876)
Colibri Topage, Colibri Rubis Topage
Signed Lower Left Corner: Edouard Traviès. Inscribed Lower Center: Colibri Topage. Inscribed Lower Right: Colibri Rubis Topage. Inscribed and Dated Lower Right: Lith. com. le 4 Decembre, 1845, term. le 12.
Watercolor on paper
Image size: 10 3/4 x 15 1/4”
Frame size: 22 1/2 x 271/4”

The work of Edouard Travies represents a pinnacle in French ornithological illustration, and his original work is exceedingly rare. Natural history, as a descriptive pursuit bent on identifying new species, demanded detailed illustrations, and the minute precision of Travies's work places him with the best of France's scientific artists. As is evident in these watercolors, his attention to esthetic qualities was no less perceptive. Travies's images of birds are considered to be some of the finest ever produced. His illustrations describe the species of birds native to Central and South America, and all show the birds in association with flowering plants indigenous to their habitats, such as orchids and passion flowers.