Audubon Aquatint Engraving, Pileated Woodpecker, Plate

Pileated Woodpecker, Plate 111. John James Audubon (1785-1851). First Edition Engravings with Original Hand Color. London: Robert Havell, 1827-1838. 38 1/2 x 26 inches sheet. Guidance: Mid-Hudson, 2017 - $146,000. “It is at times a shy bird, so that one can seldom approach it, unless under cover of a tree, or when he happens accidentally to surprise it while engaged in its daily avocations. When seen in a large field newly brought into tillage, and yet covered with girdled trees, it removes from one to another, cackling out its laughter-like notes as if it found delight in leading you a wild-goose chase in pursuit of it.” - Audubon’s Ornithological Biography, 1831