Let’s face it: some books are genuinely dangerous – dangerously captivating, that is. Take, for example, the recently published book Ferdinand Bauer’s Remarkable Birds. In it’s richly coloured, oversized pages, author Jonathan Elphick has gathered together and presented to those willing to risk becoming lost to time while gazing upon the magnificent watercolour paintings created by eighteenth century natural history artist Ferdinand Bauer from the drawings he made during his 1786 journey to Italy and the Levant.
In this collection of paintings, very few of which have been previously published, Herr Bauer, better known for his paintings of botanical subjects, shows himself to be a superb ornithological artist as well in his ability to capture the small details of his subjects, and as a result creating some of the finest images of birds to have been committed to paper not only during his time but still to the present day. Accompanying the exquisite images are facing page commentaries about both the bird depicted and the painting itself. Also included are biographical details about Herr Bauer’s life and times, as well as his techniques.
Birdwatchers, birders, ornithologists, naturalists, art historians, and all those who simply enjoy superb illustrations of birds in particular or natural subjects in general are highly encouraged to add this new book to their reading list.
