"Golden Eagle" by William Goodall, Watercolor and Ink Drawing, Early 19th Century

Presented is a stunning original painting of a Golden Eagle by British natural history artist William Goodall. A beautiful and colorful combination of both watercolor and ink, this painting is rendered in a detailed, finished style. The eagle is painted with a dynamic pattern and brushwork, and the composition is completed with a vivid foreground of a rocky outcropping and a background scene of a clear lake and towering mountain. The eagle is identified with its Latin taxonomy in the upper register of the painting. This is followed by a Latin classification and description in the lower register, as well as its English name. 

William Goodall (1757-1844) was an accomplished natural history artist and a priest who lived in Buckinghamshire, in southeast England. He produced several folio illustrations of animals, birds, and insects, all exact yet colorful studies. Goodall based most of his work on popular 18th and 19th century naturalists and illustrators, like Edward Donovan, William Swainson, and William Lewin. As was the style in ornithological art of that period, Goodall captioned almost every single drawing with an animal’s Linnaean name, a Latin description, genus, the country from which it hailed. He would also add references to the plate numbers and artists he referenced. 

CONDITION:

Original watercolor and ink on paper. Painted in England, late 18th-mid-19th Century. Inscribed in ink with Latin taxonomy to upper register,  Latin classification and description to lower register. Paper is healthy, with some toning and mat burn to paper edge. Color is vibrant. Light fading of ink inscriptions.  

Painting has been artfully framed in a custom, archival gold frame with acid-free mats and UV conservation clear glass. Framed Dimensions: 17 7/8" H x 13" W x 1" D.