Hart Original drawing of a Toucan for John Gould

HART, William Matthew (1830-1908), for GOULD, John (1804-1881).
Black-Billed Mountain Toucan (Andigena Nigrirostris).
Watercolor on paper.
London, c. 1870.
14 1/2" x 22" sheet, 31 1/2" x 24" framed.

A group of superb original watercolors of toucans for an unpublished work by John Gould. They were likely based onpencil sketches by Gould, which are now in the Sauer Collection at the University of Kansas.

This drawing contains two pencil notes, one presumably by Gould or an assistant, the other possibly added later. Upper left: "10 Feather in Tail not 12". This is in reference to a repeated mistake by the artist (seen also in the Yellow-billed toucanet drawing) in which he included too many tail feather and was later rebuked for it.

We know from Gould's article in "Annals and Magazine of Nature History" (volume 14, page 183) that in 1874 he had a strong interest in new toucan species. This makes sense as an approximate date for the drawings, too. The article and drawings suggest that around this time Gould may have been reassessing his second Monograph of the Ramphastidae, wishing to update the work yet again. We are aware of at least six finished, but unpublished toucan drawings done for Gould around this time (and possibly a seventh describe in H. P. Kraus, "The Ninetieth Catalogue"). Six unpublished toucan drawings are mentioned in Henry Sotheran's Piccadilly Notes, Number 9, and we have been able to trace all six. Four being in this sale, another is with the London drawings trade, and the other is at the University of Kansas in the Saur Collection (Gould 1053). All of this makes for a rather exciting discovery: the final remnants of Gould's unpublished third "Monograph of the Ramphastidae."

Provenance: John Gould's Estate; Henry Sothernan's Ltd.; Item 1872, Piccadilly Notes, Number 9, London, 1933; By repute, Mallett Antiques; Private English Collection; Private Sale, Dreweatts 1759 (2014).