Gouldan Girls - Gouldian Finches on May Gibbs' print
- Oil On canvas, in blackwood floating frame
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60 x 50 x 0 cm
(23.62 x 19.69 x 0.0 in)
- Fiona Smith
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These are two male Gouldian finches from Australia's Top End. The birds were named by famous naturallist John Gould for his wife, Elizabeth, 8 years after her untimely death at the age of 37 in 1841. Gould is famous for his groundbreaking books on birds, especially The Birds of Australia, but it was Elizabeth's illustrations that made the publications extraordinary for the time. Her contribution was largely overshadowed by her husband until more recent years.
The birds in the painting are sitting on an Art Nouveau candlestick by the French designer Georges De Feure - who was at the centre of the Art Nouveau movement.
All this rests atop some fabric, decorated with a pattern based on the illustrations of childrens' story book illustrator May Gibbs. The design celebrates Gibbs' Snugglepot and Cuddlepie characters, first published in 1918.