Audubon Aquatint, Painted Bunting

AUDUBON, John James (1785 - 1851).
Painted Bunting, Plate 53.
Aquatint engraving with original hand color.
London: Robert Havell, 1827-1838.
39 3/8" x 26 1/2" sheet, with deckled uncut edges.

Comparable: Christie's, 2004 - $14,340; Christie's, 2001 - $7,050.

Lots 1-13 are wonderful examples of Audubon's aquatints, and are the finest we have ever seen. Of the roughly 180 sets of Audubon produced from 1827-1838, we know of only six that were never bound (one for King William, one in Moscow and 4 others). These aquatints come from one of the unbound sets owned by John Vickers Painter in Cleveland in the 1880's. Because it was never bound, they have huge untrimmed paper sheets of approximately 39 1/2" x 26 1/2" in size, while a standard bound Audubon has a paper size of 38 5/8" x 25 3/4". To collectors, a full uncut sheet makes a tremendous difference. Beyond this, they are in mint original condition with no restoration, and color with the highest level of gradations creating compelling dimension and depth.

The painted bunting occupies typical habitat for a member of its family. It is found in thickets, woodland edges with riparian thickets, shrubbery and brushy areas. In the east, the species breeds in maritime hammocks and scrub communities. Today, it is often found along roadsides and in suburban areas, and in gardens with dense, shrubby vegetation. The wintering habitat is typically the shrubby edges along the border of tropical forests or densely vegetated savanna. The breeding range is divided into two geographically separate areas. These include southern Arizona, southern New Mexico, southern and eastern Texas, Oklahoma, Arkansas, Louisiana, northern Florida, coastal Georgia, the southern coast and inland waterways such as the Santee River of South Carolina and northern Mexico. They winter in South Florida, Cuba, the Bahamas, along both coasts of Mexico and through much of Central America. Occasionally, they may be vagrants further north, including to New York, Pennsylvania, and New Jersey. The bird is also found every few years as far north as New Brunswick, Canada. Genetic analyses showed that the species can be divided into three main groups on their breeding grounds: a western, central and eastern group.