Little Bittern, Ixobrychus minutus
John Gerrard Keulemans1885 - 1897
Museums Victoria
Carlton, Australia
This watercolour of an unidentified heron (family Ardeidae) by John Gerrard Keulemans designated Little Bittern, Ixobrychus minutus. Although the work is undated it would appear to have been part of his commission for Lord Lilford's classic Coloured Figures of the Birds of the British Islands, published by R. H. Porter, London, 1885-97. Keulemans was commissioned to do the illustrations for this work but was unable to complete it because of illness. The majority of plates were done by Archibald Thorburn. The coloured chromolithogrphic plate exactly mirrors the stance of the Little Bittern in this watercolour, however the colourings of the plumage differ slightly.
Keuleman's art was highly detailed but often the lithographs produced failed to see the secondary hand colouring so wanting in contemporary works. However the results did not necessarily require colour, their detail being so precise that it excused the lack of colour. Illustrations such as this heron show only partial colour and still the beauty of the subject is relayed to the observer.
- Title: Little Bittern, Ixobrychus minutus
- Creator Lifespan: 1842 - 1912
- Creator Nationality: Dutch
- Creator Gender: Male
- Creator Death Place: London, United Kingdom
- Creator Birth Place: Rotterdam, Netherlands
- Date Created: 1885 - 1897
- Type: Image
- Rights: Copyright expired: Source: Museum Victoria / Artist: John Gerrard Keulemans, Copyright expired: Source: Museum Victoria / Artist: John Gerrard Keulemans
- External Link: Museum Victoria
- Medium: Watercolour on paper
- Themes: Artworks
- Artist biography: The Dutchman John Gerrard Keulemans was a prolific wildlife artist who emigrated from the Netherlands to England to pursue his interests in wildlife illustration. In his adopted country he had many outlets for his works including the professional journals and publications of his time to the avid collector of natural history art. His prime outlets were journals such as The Proceedings of the Zoological Society of London and The Ibis. There was a call for many artworks to illustrate books and in his efforts to fulfil these requirements he worked long and hard hours. Keulemans worked mainly on paper using watercolour and gouache. Major works that include his art include Monograph of the Petrels (Godman); A History of the Birds of New Zealand (Buller), Monograph of the Alcedinidae (Sharpe), Monograph of the Turdidae (Seebohm), History of the Birds of Ceylon (Legge), Monograph of the Bucerotidae (Elliot), Birds of South Africa (Layard), and History of the Birds of Europe (Dresser). These typified his unique style and always embellished the tomes. His art was presented in fine detail often the lithographs produced failed to see the secondary hand colouring so wanting in contemporary works. Still the results did not necessarily require colour, their detail being so precise that it excused the lack of colour. Illustrations such as the heron show only partial colour and still the beauty of the subject is relayed to the observer.
- Artist: John Gerrard Keulemans
Get the app
Explore museums and play with Art Transfer, Pocket Galleries, Art Selfie, and more
