George Edward Lodge (British, 1860-1954)
“Velvet Asity” Philepitta Jala
Ink, watercolor and gouache on paper
Titled and signed ‘G.E.L’
Paper size: 6 1/4” x 9”

The velvet asity (Philepitta castanea) is endemic to Madagascar. Its natural habitat is subtropical or tropical moist lowland forests.

The male of the velvet asity (Philepitta castanea) has yellow tips to its feathers when newly molted, but these wear off, leaving the bird all black; at the same time, a green wattle grows above the eye. The female is greenish.

Velvet asities eat berries and other fruit in undergrowth, and they build hanging nests with a little roof over the entrance.

GEORGE EDWARD LODGE (BRITISH, 1860-1954)

“A man of most exceptional charm and distinction, [Lodge] was recognized on both sides of the Atlantic as one of the finest bird-artists this country has ever produced. His wide experience in falconry doubtless gave him special knowledge of the hawk family, for he was a keen falconer from his earliest days. In the painting of birds of prey he had no rival in any country. He was primarily an artist but, being a good naturalist as well, he was able to depict his subjects among their natural surroundings and to make them look alive.” “
(Obituary, The Times, 9 February 1954.)

Prepared for the Longmans’s “readership series” of books. Throughout his long life, Lodge illustrated over sixty books, including 389 plates of 426 species for David Bannerman’s “Birds of the British Isles,” a twelve volume epic, which he undertook at the age of 92.

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or by email at loricohen@aradergalleries.com