A Set of 12 Hand Coloured Engravings of Monkeys by George Edwards
A COMPLETE SET OF 12 HAND COLOURED ENGRAVINGS OF MONKEYS FROM GLEANINGS OF NATURAL HISTORY BY GEORGE EDWARDS
CIRCA 1750
Including modern frames 11 ¾” (30cm) wide 14 ½” (37) high
George Edwards (1694-1773) was an English naturalist and ornithologist who travelled extensively through Europe, studying natural history and acquired a reputation for his coloured drawings of animal, especially birds.
Over a period of 21 years he published seven volumes containing descriptions and hand coloured etchings of birds and in a few cases other animals. These 12 engravings are the only monkeys included in his work. Interestingly, many of the these images continue the 16th and 17th century tradition, led by artists such as David Teniers, Peter Van der Heyden and Franz Franken, of depicting the monkeys with human faces.
