Hand-colored engraving with etching and aquatint, 1826-38, Plate CCCCVI from Birds of America, engraved, printed, and colored by R. Havell, London, first edition, elephant folio, on wove paper with "J Whatman/1838" watermark, matted and framed.

Sheet Size 25 x 38 1/8 in.; DOA 29 1/4 x 32 1/2 in.

By descent from the Estate of the late Noah Chatham, who received the lot offered here as a gift from his grandmother, DeWitt Chatham Hanes, wife of Ralph Hanes, Sr., Winston-Salem, North Carolina

The Audubon print offered here, Trumpeter Swan (Plate CCCCVI), is among the most sought-after Audubon works in existence. This particular bird is rare and coveted by Audubon collectors, and this printing is from the Havell Edition of Birds of America (1826-38), which is the original and most valuable of the Audubon publications.

This work has fortunately bypassed major condition concerns often seen in prints of its age, as it has not been laid down (it is hinged instead), there are no major tears, and the image itself is in very good condition. The visible age-related issues such as foxing, toning, and rippling of the sheet are approachable from a conservation standpoint.

Scattered foxing and toning; some edge nicks and short repaired edge tear lower margin; few tiny, light surface abrasions; some rippling from sheet hinging (sheet not laid down).

$8,000 - 12,000