William Hayes, Ruff Bird – c.1779 hand-coloured etching
William Hayes, Ruff Bird – c.1779 hand-coloured etching
William Hayes, Ruff Bird – c.1779 hand-coloured etching
William Hayes, Ruff Bird – c.1779 hand-coloured etching

William Hayes Ruff Bird

€211,95
€211,95
Esaurito
View the full Collection: Hayes, William (1729–1799)

An original c.1779 etching print – William Hayes, Ruff Bird.

A rare ornithological study by William Hayes (1735–1802) et al. depicting a male ruff, a sandpiper native to northern Eurasia. Large and striking, the work is hand-coloured in watercolour and bodycolour over etched lines on laid paper. The rendering is typical of its time, isolating a single bird on a small patch of ground, with a focus on bold colouring, tending towards decorative appeal rather than strict scientific accuracy.

This picture forms part of a collection of five birds by Hayes that we have for sale.

William Hayes was an 18th-century bird illustrator, known as the first artist to record a single private collection of live birds. Seven members of his family or 'pupils' collaborated on the etching and hand-colouring of his bird subjects: his wife Anne and children Charles, William, Annette, Emily, Maria and Matilda.

Hayes is best-known for two publications, 'A Natural History of British Birds', 1775 and 'Portraits of Rare and Curious Birds, with their Descriptions, from the Menagery of Osterly Park [sic]', 1794–1799. The pictures in our collection do not appear to relate to a single publication. One of the plates (Sea Pie) is from 'A Natural History of British Birds', 1775; one (Ruff) is after a known watercolour by Hayes dated 1779; one (Carolina Duck) matches an engraving by Hayes signed and dated 1780; the final two (male and female Curassow) are subjects that feature in 'Portraits of Rare and Curious Birds' but the poses of the birds differ.

Hayes evidently produced illustrations that did not ultimately end up in his publications. It is also possible that the pictures relate to another extremely rare compilation by Hayes, 'The Portraits of British and Exotic Birds Coloured from Nature', 1778, of which only a single copy is known. This included birds belonging to one of Hayes's early patrons, the Earl of Sandwich.

+ Read the Artist Research

William Hayes (1729–1799)

The 18th-century bird illustrator William Hayes (1735–1802) spent much of his life in Southall, Middlesex. Little more is known except that he fathered twenty-one children, ten of whom survived him, and as a result struggled financially to support his family.

Hayes is best-known for two publications, 'A Natural History of British Birds', 1775 and 'Portraits of Rare and Curious Birds, with their Descriptions, from the Menagery of Osterly Park [sic]', 1794–1799. He also produced a series of 'Portraits of British and Exotic Birds Coloured from Nature', 1778, which included birds belonging to one of his early patrons, the Earl of Sandwich.

Hayes's largest project was a commission to illustrate the menagerie at Osterley Park, Middlesex, owned by Robert and Sarah Child. Published in two volumes, in 1794 and 1799, it comprised forty-two hand-coloured plates. The Menagerie at Osterley Park contained over ninety-seven different species of bird, cared for by a 'Menagerie Man' called Jonathan Chipps. After Robert Child's death, his widow Sarah commissioned Hayes to paint the birds for a series of pictures which were later hung at the menagerie.

In the 18th century, exotic birds from the far corners of the globe often made their way to England in the holds of East India Company ships, destined for the collections of wealthy landowners. The acquisition of such commodities was the height of fashion, feeding a broader vogue for Asian decorative objects and styles; exotic birds would adorn not only in garden menageries but porcelain, textiles and wallpaper. Visiting Osterley Park in 1772, Agneta Yorke wrote to Lady Beauchamp Proctor that she thought it, ‘The prettiest place I ever saw, ’tis an absolute retreat, & fill’d with all sorts of curious and scarce Birds and Fowles, among the rest 2 Numidian Cranes that follow like Dogs, and a pair of Chinese teal that have only been seen in England before upon the India paper.'

COA
+ Artwork Details

Dimensions: Height: 31.7cm (12.48") Width: 26.4cm (10.39")

Presented: Unframed.

Medium: Etching

Age: 18th-century

Signed: No.

Inscribed: No.

Dated: --

Condition: Age toning as shown, more pronounced on the verso. There are two faint fold creases running horizontally, in the upper half and towards the lower edge. Please see photos for detail.

Stock number: KD-677