Tringa vanellus – Northern Lapwing (Kievit/Ljip) by Nozeman & Sepp, 1809
This finely hand-coloured copper engraving shows the northern lapwing (Vanellus vanellus) in a rare white (leucistic) form, labelled on the plate Tringa vanellus, Gavia vulgaris (Varius alba). Set against a grassy mound, the artist contrasts the pale bird with a normally coloured companion, displaying the species’ elegant swept crest, bold breast, and long rounded wings. Known in Dutch as kievit (Frisian ljip), the lapwing is widespread across temperate Eurasia and famed for its tumbling display and “pee-wit” call.
From Nederlandsche Vogelen; volgens hunne huisdouding, aert, en eigenschappen beschreeven (Amsterdam, 1770–1829)—the first great Dutch ornithology—by Cornelis Nozeman, Martinus Houttuyn and Jan Christiaan Sepp. Printed on laid paper and finished by hand to achieve lifelike colour and texture. The accompanying Dutch text pages offer historical and scientific notes on the species, its behaviour, nesting, and characteristics as understood in the late 18th and early 19th centuries, with Dutch names "(varius alba) witte-kievit" noted.
Condition: Very good. With wide margins and a strong plate mark; even age toning and a few trivial handling spots only. Text page likewise very good, clean and sound with mild, uniform toning and almost no scattered spots; one tiny tear in the top edge.
Framing tips: A warm ivory mount will flatter the creamy plumage of the white bird; pair with an ebonised or dark oak frame for a classic natural-history look. A fine green fillet can echo the turf. Use UV-protective glazing to preserve the hand colour.
Overall size: 37 x 53 cm Image size: 28.6 x 40 cm
Bartele Gallery. Original antique maps, sea charts, engravings and works on paper. This is a plain text rendering of a page that is otherwise built in the browser. The catalogue index is at https://www.bartele.net/catalogue and machine readable notes are at https://www.bartele.net/llms.txt.