This monsoon, Purathanam unveils an extraordinary collection of bird chromolithograph prints from the late 1800s. But before we delve into these captivating artworks, let's explore the enchanting world of bird art, a realm that has fascinated humanity for millennia, weaving its way through literature, art, and science. This blog is a tribute to all my fellow bird enthusiasts, avian art collectors, and those who appreciate how these feathered marvels have become cherished adornments in our homes throughout history. Join me on this journey into the fascinating history of 'Avian/ Bird art' and its evolution.
Even though birds are not often found in the Paleolithic or Neolithic art, ‘Bird art’ has been around for really a long time from cave paintings to the paintings in famous museums. Artists have been showing birds in their work for over 50,000 years i.e. even before the historic period. Following are some examples tracing the evolution of bird art throughout the pre-historic and historic period:
Pre-Historic Period:
Upper Paleolithic Period (Old Stone Age) 500,000 B.C.E. – 10,000 B.C.E. :
Arnhem Cave Painting (AUSTRALIA)
40,000 - 50,000 BCE
(A pair of Genyornis newtoni, extinct birds depicted on a rock in Australia)
A cave painting dating back to the Palaeolithic period (50,000-40,000 years ago) was discovered two years ago in Arnhem Land, a historical region of the Northern Territory of Australia. Archaeologists confirmed it to be a depiction of 'Genyornis newtoni', an extinct bird, painted in red ochre. This painting provided evidence that Genyornis coexisted with humans for a significant period. It also suggests that one of our prehistoric ancestors, who was an artist, recorded it on cave walls for future generations, possibly making him one of the early artists in the human history.
Lascaux cave painting (FRANCE)
17,000 to 15,000 B.C.E.
(Lascaux cave paintings, depicting a wounded bull, a man and a bird.)
Another Cave art was found in the Lascaux cave, in the Dordogne region, southwestern France dated to the Upper Palaeolithic period ( c.17,000 to 15,000 B.C.E.). Even though the cave walls are filled with thousands of animals and human paintings there is this one bird on one of the walls where you will see a bird depicted along with a wounded bull and a man.
Bhimbetka Cave Painting (INDIA)
30,000 B.C.E. to 10,000 B.C.E.
Our next bird art comes from India. The Bhimbetka cave paintings are ancient artworks found in caves in Madhya Pradesh. These paintings depict animals, humans, tools, nature and all painted in green, red, white, brown, and black colors. Bhimbetka Cave has over 750 rock shelters, with over a hundred containing paintings of animals, human figures, and a few birds. One notable example is this peacock art depicted in the following image;
Mesolithic Period (Late Stone Age) 10,000 BCE – 6,000 B.C.E. :
Pachmarhi Cave Painting (INDIA)
Another early bird art from India, from the Pachmarhi caves: Pachmarhi caves are some of the oldest painted rock shelters in India, located in the Pachmarhi hills in the Hoshangabad district of Madhya Pradesh. Apart from human figures, ancient artists have depicted many wild animals like bison, deer, elephants, horses, bulls, wild boars, buffaloes, crocodiles and a very few birds such as peacocks, ostriches and fowl.
(A fowl art from Pachmarhi caves, Madhya Pradesh)
Also there’s another bird art found on the Ambadevi rocks, Betul District, Madhya Pradesh. After nearly decade-long research, Dr. VT Ingole, a professor and his team from Amravati district of Maharashtra, has discovered that, Ostriches existed in Indian sub-continent, nearly 15,000 to 25,000 years ago, particularly in Vidarbha region. This bird art has clearly proved Indians, that the ostriches once roamed on the landscapes of Indian peninsula. Isn’t that an amazing information?!
(An ostrich art from Ambadevi rocks, Madhya Pradesh)
Historic Period 3,000 B.C.E. to 1,000 B.C.E.:
Indus Valley Civilisation ;
3,300 B.C.E. to 1,300 B.C.E. (Bronze Age)
(Clay figurines from Harappan / Indus Valley Civilisation Artefacts, National Museum, New Delhi)
(Clay Bird from Harappan / Indus Valley Civilisation Artefacts, National Museum, New Delhi)
These are some of the clay artefacts from the Indus Valley Civilisation. Figurines like bull, a buffalo, an elephant, a dog, a deer, a monkey, and a bird.
Egyptian Civilisation ( EGYPT)
3000 B.C.E.
Birds played a significant role in the ancient Egyptian civilization and in their religious practices. Through analysis of mummies, bone fragments, hieroglyphs, art, and artifacts, researchers have identified approximately 183 bird species associated with ancient Egypt.
Ducks and Geese:
Ducks and Geese were not just their food; they were also important in their religion.
(Geese from c. 2575 - 2551 B.C.E.)
Cranes:
During the Old Kingdom ( 2700 - 2200 B.C.E.), cranes like the Common Crane, Sandhill Crane, and Demoiselle Crane were semi-domesticated, appearing in farmyard scenes. They were fattened for food, offered to gods, and given as tribute. Ramses III even donated 160 cranes to the Temple of Amun, and some were kept as pets.
(Duck art from Egyptian civilisation, 2700 - 2200 B.C.E.)
(Cranes from the tomb of Ti, Saqqara, Ancient Egypt, c. 2498 - 2450 B.C.E.)
Bird Mural - Amarna Palace;
1332 B.C.E.
(Replica of Bird mural by Nina de Garis Davies of the 3,300-year-old Egyptian mural from the ‘Green room’ of North Palace at Amarna.)
A century ago, archaeologists unearthed a 3,300 year old palace in Amarna, Egypt, once the capital during Pharaoh Akhenaten's reign. In the palace, there was a fancy room (Green Room), they found paintings all over the wall showing birds in a swamp with lots of plants. The paintings were so good that they could even tell which kinds of birds they were, like the Pied kingfisher and the Pigeon, Heaven scent, Winter’s tail and few more. This palace was of Meritaten, the daughter of Pharaoh Akhenaten and Queen Nefertiti, whose name meant “She who is beloved of Aten”. 
Iron Age - 1,300 B.C.E. to 600 B.C.E. :
Peacocks of the Great Stupa - (INDIA) Sathavahana Period;
100 B.C.E. - 100 C.E.
(Peacock art on the Great Stupa" No.1, Sanchi. 1st century BCE.)
(Bird art on the 3rd Panel (left pillar front face) - Miracle of the Buddha walking on the River Nairanjana.
(Bird art from Sanchi Stupa, 2nd Panel ( left pillar inner face) - Buddha tames the Naga at Uruvila.
(Peacock art from 2nd Panel, Sanchi Stupa 1 Eastern gateway- Procession of king Suddhodana from Kapilavastu)
Medieval Period (500 C.E. - 1,400 C.E.)
I browsed and found few amazing bird arts from the medieval period. Sharing those artworks here, to show you how the medieval artists’ used their imaginations. Some were meant for religious reasons, while others were just for decoration.
Ajanta Frescoes (INDIA)
500 C.E. to 600 C.E.
Crane Art from (Ajanta Caves)
A Duck from Ajanta frescoes -Cave #16, Maharashtra, India, ca. 500 -700C.E.
(Bird art from Ajanta cave ceiling)
(Birds from Ajanta Frescoes recreated by Vijay Kulkarni )
The Ajanta frescoes are amongst the highest achieved by Indian fine arts from prehistoric cave paintings to the modern art.
Byzantine Mosaic Duck - GREECE
600 C.E.
(A bird art from 600 C.E. -Byzantine mosaic titled Bird and Flowers., it is currently displayed in the Byzantine Museum of Thessaloniki.)
Marginal Cockatoos - ITALY
1200 C.E.
(Four Marginal cockatoos Frederick II, the Holy Roman Emperor)
These Bird illustrations are from 1245 C.E. from an Latin book called ‘De Arte Venandi cum Avibus’ (The Art of Hunting with Birds). Frederick II, the Holy Roman Emperor is the Author of this book on ornithology and falconry written in the 1240s. His book featured more than 900 drawings of both birds and animals. Marginal Cockatoos were depicted 4 times in the book. Because they were once owned by King Frederick II, the book is now in the Vatican Library.
Cranes - ( ENGLAND )
1300 C.E.
(A Cranes art from the late medieval period i.e. 1300 C.E. It is currently displayed in the British Library.)
Pelican Feeding Her Young - ( BELGIUM )
1300 C.E.
A bird art from 1278–1300, it is by an unknown illuminator from Franco-Flemish who had used Tempera colors, pen and ink, gold leaf, and gold paint on parchment.
Renaissance Period (Modern Age) - 1,400 C.E. - 1,700 C.E.
Since ancient times, animals and birds have been employed in art as metaphors. During the Renaissance period they held religious and mythological importance.
Madonna of the Goldfinch - ( ITALY)
1400 C.E.
(Madonna of the Goldfinch, by Raphael)
People painted goldfinches, which also meant sacrifice, resurrection, the soul, or mortality.
Madonna della Vittoria by Andrea Mantegna;
(Madonna della Vittoria by Andrea Mantegna from 1496)
You can see a sulphur-crested cockatoo in the painting of Madonna della Vittoria. Birds native to Australasia being found in Renaissance paintings shows the depth of ancient trade routes.
Ustad Mansur Bird Art- Mughal Period ( INDIA )
1600 C.E.
In India during Mugal period, bird paintings were not just meant for aesthetic purposes, they also had historical and cultural importance. During this period a rich cultural exchange happened between India and the Islamic world which is quite evident in the Mughal paintings of Ustad Mansur, the Mughal court artist. Here are some of his bird paintings from the 1600s.
(Dipper -by Ustad Mansur, 1620 C.E.)
(Great Hornbill by Ustad Mansur, (1612 C.E.)
(Turkey cock by Mansur (1612 C.E.)
(Gyrfalcon by Ustad Mansur-1619, Museum of Fine Arts, Boston)
(Ustad Mansur’s Siberian crane dated 1625 C.E.)
This Siberian crane by Mansur was made way before it was formally described and given a binomial name by Peter Simon Pallas in 1773.
(Mallard ducks by Ustad Mansur from 1620s; Museum of Fine Arts, Boston)
(Do-do of Ustad Mansur from 1610 C.E.)
The Dodo bird in the middle is my subject from the above bird art of Ustad Mansur, dated 1610. This is one of the few coloured images of the dodo made from a living specimen before it went extinct in 1681C.E. Two live specimens were brought to India in the 1600s according to Peter Mundy, a 16th century English traveler and a writer. So, the dodo in the painting is believed to be one of those. Other birds depicted are Loriculus galgulus (upper left), Tragopan melanocephalus (upper right), Anser indicus (lower left) and Pterocles indicus (lower right).
Also, Around the same time (1626-28 C.E.) in Europe, there was another Do-do painting, created by Roelant Savery, a Flanders-born, Dutch Golden Age painter. It was known as “Edward’s Dodo”!
(Edward’s Dodo by Roelant Savery in 1626 - GREECE)
Do-do birds were first discovered by Portuguese sailors in 1507 C.E during an expedition to Indonesia. Later in 1626 Roelant Savery painted a Dodo with few other birds. Since then it has become the standard image of a Dodo specimen, since this species was wiped out from the face of the earth in less than 200 years it was discovered. This bird went extinct in 1681 C.E.. Later Father of British Ornithology, George Edwards gave this Painting to the British Museum hence the name of the painting.
Contemporary Age (17,000 C.E. to 2,000 C.E.)
Modern Bird Art;
During the 1700s the bird art started to look like this. Artists’ painted birds in very detail, in their natural homes, so that people could study them.
(These are some of the Bird arts of Theodore Jasper c. 1880s. - NORTH AMERICA from Purathanam collection)
The people who study the birds were called “Ornithologists”! They studied every aspect of the birds, including their chirps, flight patterns, physical appearance, and migration patterns. There were very few bird artists’ popular during the 1800s who dedicated their lives for the study of birds and one amongst them was Theodore Jasper, a German artist born in Prussia in 1814.
Theodore Jasper work remains the standard in ornithological art to this day. A good example would be his bird arts from the Studer’s Popular Ornithology, “The Birds of North America”. Jasper’s skill and passion were quite evident in overall composition, colouring and his expert attention to accurate anatomical details of the birds. Even though Jacob Henry Studer is the author for this best known book, the Studer’s Popular Ornithology, Jasper’s paintings formed the basis for the book. This book contains about 119 artistic coloured plates of chromolithograph prints representing different species and varieties of birds. To my surprise, last month I found 20 of those chromo lithograph prints from “The Birds of North America” collection, probably the earliest edition. Because these bird prints contains a seal mark to its top right saying “1895- Public Library, Fitchburg, Massachusetts”.
In conclusion, these bird prints have a long and fascinating history that spans centuries. Whether you are a nature lover, a history buff, or an art enthusiast, bird prints are a timeless and captivating art form that will continue to inspire and delight for generations to come. In the past, only monarchs, royal families, or elites were able to afford paintings. After the invention of printing, popular artworks started reaching all the classes of the society.
By 1800s printing techniques advanced and chromolithography made it possible to mass- produce colorful bird prints. People used these prints often for scientific and educational purposes and they could be also found in classrooms and natural history museums.
By 1900s these bird prints had reached a point where it started to fill the homes and office walls as part of interior decoration. Even today, the bird prints are a popular decor choice of many artists and interior designers.
Please checkout this link if you are interested in Jasper’s Bird art from 1880s. Even after 130+ years these bird prints are looking fabulous. We have framed the bird prints in sleek Teak wooden frames that can bring a sense of sophistication and visual interest to your living rooms, dining rooms, study rooms, your bed rooms… Basically anywhere!
Image Credits:
public domains , Getty’s Open Content Program, Pinterest, www.kevinstandagephotography.wordpress.com, Pinterest, Wikipedia, www.digitalcollections.lib.washington, http://www.taxidermy4cash.com