Edouard Traviès (1809-1876)
Le Petit Toucan
Signed Lower Left: Edouard Traviès. Inscribed Lower Right: Le Petit Toucan
Watercolor on paper
Image size: 10 1/2 x 15 1/2”
Frame size: 23 1/2 x 27 1/2”

Travies's original watercolors were reproduced as both engravings and lithographs, which are considered among the best portraits of birds ever painted. The artist rendered the backgrounds fully, incorporating foliage, flowers, butterflies, and architectural features, as well as incidental details such as dogs, figures hunting, as well as the birds themselves, all with considerable charm. No printed version, however, approaches the profound quality and assurance with which the artist rendered these watercolors.