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Jays as depicted in Gould's masterpiece |
THE strength of the market for antiquarian bird books will be tested at auction next month.
The star lot in a sale to be conducted in Leyburn, North Yorkshire, on August 22 is John Gould's five-volume The Birds of Great Britain, which was published over a period between 1862 and 1873.
The set contains no fewer than 367 fine hand-coloured lithographic plates by Gould himself and by other notaable artists of the day, namely, H.C. Richter, Joseph Wolf and William Hart.
Auction house Tennants describe it as " very good copy" of a title which has been described as "the most sumptuous and costly of British bird books".
The pre-sale estimate is that the hammer will come down at a price of between £25,000 and £35,000, but any successful bidder will also have to pay a buyer's premium of 24 per cent.
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| It is thought the five volumes could fetch as much as £25,000 |
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The Red-footed Falcon was known as the Orange-legged Hobby in Victorian times |
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