ABBOT, John (British, 1757 - 1840).
"Screech Owl".
Watercolor on paper.
Georgia, ca 1823.
All titled on recto. Many with additional notes on verso.
Inscribed verso: "Inches."
12 3/8" x 7 3/8" sheet, 16 3/4" x 21 1/2" framed.

Georgia's First Natural History Artist.

Comparable: Brunk, 2020 - $13,530.

This collection of striking and distinctive bird watercolors is of exceptional importance in the field of American natural history, and of Georgia wildlife in particular. John Abbot was born in London in 1751, the son of a lawyer who encouraged his early interest and talent for natural history, and who arranged for him to study drawing, perspective, and engraving under Jacob Bonneau.

Abbot owned (and assiduously studied) the ornithological publications of Mark Catesby and George Edwards. Highly influenced by their styles, Abbot nonetheless forged a unique and accomplished manner that was entirely his own. In 1773, Abbot emigrated to America, bringing his burgeoning talents and interest in natural-history art first to Virginia, then to Georgia the following year. For the rest of his life, Abbot lived in Georgia -- moving among Burke, Chatham, Scriven, and Bulloch counties -- and devoted himself to illustrating the animal and plant life of that state. Abbot's oeuvre has only recently been recognized and elevated to the rank of such better-known predecessors and contemporaries as Mark Catesby, Alexander Wilson, and John James Audubon.

Very few of Abbot's original works have been published or otherwise reproduced, and thus they were never popularized in the way that Catesby's and Audubon's illustrations were. The decisive role that Abbot played in the developing knowledge of American wildlife was first highlighted in 1983, when Vivian Rogers-Price mounted a seminal exhibition of his work in Madison, Georgia. She also wrote the accompanying catalog, which -- in tandem with the show itself -- made a profound impact on public awareness of Abbot's great work, with its special importance for the state of Georgia and the American South. Rogers-Price wrote: "This exquisitely rendered vision of Georgia's insect, bird, and plant life established Abbot as one of the premier naturalist artists of the nineteenth century. In his watercolors Abbot combined a talent for composition and design with the technical skill for capturing the textures of his subjects." ["John Abbot in Georgia: The Vision of a Naturalist Artist," Madison-Morgan Cultural Center, Madison, Georgia, 1983.]