John James Audubon Leipzig Ed. Canvas backed Duck Print Lithograph Engraving 1973 Germany Birds of America Collection

Leipzig: Ariel Press, 1972. Measurements: Sheet size: 38 1/2 x 25 1/8 inches; Size of image area including lettering / title: 24 1/2 x 19 1/16 inches; Size of image area without lettering: 22 5/8 x 19 1 1/16 inches.

An exceptional and scarce copy of a print made for but not used in the beautifully printed and richly coloured "Leipzig" edition of Audubon's Birds.

Snowy Heron is one of the most desirable plates in the Birds of America, Audubon's masterpiece. This stunning reproduction issue was made using a now antiquated printing technique called collotype which yields quite rich, oil paint-type colours. The Leipzig edition of Audubon's Birds was produced in the early 1970s. The plan was to reproduce 40 plates: 20 vertical and 20 horizontal from Audubon's work of which 500 would be bound in two vol;umes and 500 would be sold loose. Not all the plates produced were used however including this marvellous rendition of the Snowy Heron, one of the most popular and evocative of all Audubon's Birds. It is consequently quite rare.