Audubon Aquatint, Summer, or Wood Duck

AUDUBON, John James (1785 - 1851).
Summer, or Wood Duck, Plate 206.
Aquatint engraving with original hand color.
London: Robert Havell, 1827-1838.
38 5/8 x 25 1/2 inches sheet.
Provenance: From the John Painter Vicker's Collection.
Comparable: Arader Galleries, 2019 - $106,250; Guernsey's, 2013 - $85,400.
This and the Carolina Parrot are Audubon's best compositions. The most famous image of a duck ever drawn.
"The flight of this species is remarkable for its speed, and the ease and elegance with which it is performed. The Wood Duck passes through the woods and even amongst the branches of trees, with as much facility as the Passenger Pigeon; and while removing from some secluded haunt to its breeding-grounds, at the approach of night, it shoots over the trees like a meteor, scarcely emitting any sound from its wings. In the lower parts of Louisiana and Kentucky, where they abound, these regular excursions are performed by flocks of from thirty to fifty or more individual." - Audubon's Ornithological Biography.