Vintage English Transferware Adams Audubon Washington Eagle Plate Brown Transferware

$79.99

Brand Adams

For consideration is this English transferware plate from Adams' John James Audubon Wild Birds of America series featuring the majestic Washington Eagle.  It is a dark, grey- black transfer which has richly hand painted colors of yellow/gold, green, red/pink and rust highlighting the pinecone and floral border and the turkey.

from Wikipedia: The Bird of Washington, Washington Eagle, or Great Sea Eagle (Falco washingtonii, F. washingtoniensis, F. washingtonianus, or Haliaetus washingtoni) was a putative species of sea eagle which was claimed in 1826 and published by John James Audubon in his famous work The Birds of America. It is now not recognised as a valid species. Theories about its true nature include the following:

  • It was a juvenile specimen or subspecies of bald eagle
  • It was an invention and that the picture was plagiarised from a picture of a golden eagle in Rees's Cyclopædia.
  • It was actually a genuine species, but it was rare and became extinct after Audubon's sightings.

John James Audubon's painting of the bird was acquired by Sidney Dillon Ripley, and his family donated it to the Smithsonian American Art Museum in 1994

Born in Les Cayes, in what is now Haiti, on April 26, 1785, he was an illegitimate son of French plantation owner Captain Jean Audubon and his Creole servant Jeanne Rabin. He was given the name Jean Rabin at birth, however, upon his Mother's death shortly thereafter, he and his sister were sent to Nantes, France, where they were raised by the captain’s wife, Anne. The couple legally adopted the children in 1794 and gave Jean a new name: Jean-Jacques Fougère Audubon. With his new name, also came the privileges of being a wealthy merchant's son, such as lessons in art, music and history, which is when he became fascinated with birds and used his natural artistic abilities to begin sketching them regularly.  

He was self taught and trained American artist, naturalist, and one of the most famous ornithologists ever. He is known as the father of artistic ornithology.  His combined interests in art and ornithology turned into a plan to make a complete pictorial record of all the bird species of North America. He was notable for his extensive studies documenting all types of American birds and for his incredibly beautiful detailed illustrations, which depicted the birds in their natural habitats. His major work, a color-plate book titled The Birds of America (1827–1839), is considered one of, if not, the finest ornithological works ever completed. Audubon is also known for identifying 25 new species. He is the eponym of the National Audubon Society, and his name adorns a large number of towns, neighborhoods, and streets across the United States.  Dozens of scientific names first published by Audubon are still in use by the scientific community.

You can read more about his interesting life at Biography.Com


This plate is absolutely stunning!  Produced on engraved copper plates from the original art, each plate is hand transferred and colored.  

Measures: appx 10"

Condition: No chips, cracks or repairs...some crazing, commensurate with age, is present.

Marked: as shown