William Neave Parker, Pheasants Bird Illustration – c.1950 gouache painting

An original c.1950 gouache painting – William Neave Parker, Pheasants Bird Illustration.An outstanding sheet of bird illustrations by the British natural history artist William Neave Parker (1910–1961), featuring a range of pheasant birds: Lady Amherst’s Pheasant; Ring Necked Pheasant; Himalayan Monal Pheasant; Golden Pheasant; Blue Eared Pheasant.Neave Parker used his talent for drawing and love of wildlife to show natural history imagery to a non-specialist audience. He collaborated with London's Natural History Museum in the mid 20th century, and is particularly known for his illustrations of prehistoric flora and fauna and his reconstructions of dinosaurs.In this illustration Parker characteristically paints with beautiful precision and detail. The colours are exceptionally vibrant and the pencil line is particularly sensitively drawn.The painting is the original artwork for Dr Maurice Burton's book 'Wonderful World of Nature: Birds'. Dr Burton was a zoologist who had a long career at the Natural History Museum, from 1926 to 1958.Painted in gouache with graphite on artist board with hinged cover sheet.Artist's stamp on the cover sheet and publisher stamp on the verso: The Gawthorn Press Ltd.