Audubon Aquatint, Rose-Breasted Grosbeak

AUDUBON, John James (1785 - 1851).
Rose-Breasted Grosbeak, Plate 127.
Aquatint engraving with original hand color.
London: Robert Havell, 1827-1838.
27 7/8" x 25 3/8" sheet.

Comparables: Christie's, 2004 - $11,950; Arader Galleries, 2021 - $7,200.

"...I closed my eyes, and was passing away into the world of dreaming existence, when suddenly there burst on my soul the serenade of the Rose-breasted bird, so rich, so mellow, so loud in the stillness of the night, that sleep fled from my eyelids. Never did I enjoy music more: it thrilled through my heart, and surrounded me with an atmosphere of bliss. One might easily have imagined that even the Owl, charmed by such delightful music, remained reverently silent." - Audubon's Ornithological Biography, 1831.