20th May, 2022 10:30 GMT/BST
The James Harrison Collection of Birds
184
Taxidermy: A late Victorian Cased Pair of Cory's Shearwater's (Calonectris borealis), dated 1890, Canary Islands, by Henry James Burton, 191 Wardour Street, London, a high quality pair of full mount adults, one perched atop a painted faux rock bolder, the other below feeding upon seaweed, amidst a natural setting of dry grasses and brush, set above seaweed and pebble covered beach groundwork beneath, set against a watercolour painted sky back drop, enclosed within a typical period ebonised three-glass display case, 72cm by 27.5cm by 56cm, signed to interior back drop, bearing label to interior lower left - Canary Islands, two Cinereus Shearwater's, shot off the Island of Tenerife, by T. Parkin, on March 26th, 1890.
Sold for £1,600
Estimated at £250 - £350
No trade label present but by the artist mentioned, confident after examining similar signed cased displays with identical paint work to the back drop.
Auction: The James Harrison Collection of Birds, 20th May, 2022
The James Harrison Collection comprises over 200 lots of cased and freemount birds dating from the late Victorian era to the middle of the 20th century. The collection includes rare and unusual examples, such as a passenger pigeon and a kiwi, as well as mounts by the likes of Rowland Ward, James Gardner, Charles Kirk and George Bristow.
James Maurice Harrison (1892-1971) was an ornithologist and one of the last great bird collectors, who gathered large numbers of specimens to study moult patterns, distribution, geographical and colour variation within and between species. A GP by profession, Harrison filled his family home and Doctor's Surgery, Bowerwood House in Kent, with his extraordinary collection.
Viewing
Wednesday 18th May 10:00am - 4:00pm, Thursday 19th May 10:00am - 4:00pm, and the morning of the sale from 8am. Viewing is open to the public, there is no need to make an appointment.
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