Description by John Edward Gray’s From ‘Illustrations of Indian Zoology’ original hand coloured lithograph Captioned ‘Aquilla Fusca. Brown Eagle.’ John Edward Gray of the British Museum had collaborated with Maj.-Gen. Hardwicke in producing Illustrations of Indian Zoology between 1830 and 1834. He was also the author of several major illustrated works on natural history and commissioned the best artists and printers of the day to illustrate his work. The Illustrations of Indian Zoology is his major work, dedicated to the East India Company, and with the striking plates of bird and animal life in the sub-continent drawn by Waterhouse Hawkins, the noted sporting artist. Maj.-Gen. Thomas Hardwicke of the Bengal Artillery whilst serving in India from 1778 to 1823 assembled a truly impressive collection of natural history drawings by Indian and European artists whom he engaged to draw flora and fauna. On his retirement he brought the collection with him to England and a thousand of these in many volumes are now in the British library and in the British Museum (Natural History). Bird portraiture predominates in Illustrations of Indian Zoology with a token representation of mammals, reptiles and fishes. Size (cms): 48 (H) x 34 (L) Size (inches): 19 (H) x 13.5 (L)
