Sarah Stone (British, circa 1760-1844)
A Cock of the Rock (Rupicola rupicola)
Signed and dated 'Sarah Stone 1781' (centre)
Watercolour
31 x 37cm (12 3/16 x 14 9/16in).
Footnotes:
Sarah Stone was one of the pre-eminent natural history watercolourists of the 18th century. Beginning her career as an amateur enthusiast, she was soon commissioned to paint the contents of Sir Ashton Lever's 'Holophusikon' or, more commonly, the Leverian Museum in 1777 or 1778. With displays curated to pique curiosity and wonder, Lever's collection contained an extensive variety of animals and artefacts brought back from British expeditions across the globe, including Captain Cook's three voyages between 1768 and 1780.

The first time many of these species would have been seen by British eyes, Stone was tasked with making the first pictorial records of the 'discovered' birds, mammals, fish, insects, reptiles, shells, minerals, and ethnographical artefacts. Stone's work gained a further level of importance once the museum was eventually dissolved in 1806 and the collection spread across the world. Her work acts as an important marker for the reference and identification practices of the 18th century scientific community. Interestingly it also gives insight into the taxidermy methods of the day, with later research revealing that specimens were often displayed with inaccurate shapes and sizes.

Stone's work at the Leverian Museum helped to hone her skill and palette which did not go unnoticed in the wider artistic scene. She first exhibited, with three watercolours, at The Society of Artists of Great Britain in 1780, and again in 1791. Stone was also an 'honorary exhibitor' in 1781 at the Royal Academy. That the Royal Academy was closed to women at this time is testament to the esteem her contemporaries had for her, and her obvious talent.

Literature: For a similar version of this watercolour, in the collection of the Natural History Museum, London see Christine E. Jackson, Sarah Stone: Natural Curiosities from the New Worlds, London, 1998, p. 106, colour illustration pl. 59, and back cover.

The sheet of laid paper has been stretched onto a wooden stretcher to which it is attached by a gummed strip of paper round the edges. The stretcher has caused a slightly darker area to form around the 4 sides, and is more pronounced on the right side. There is slight time staining in addition to which there is a small brown mark upper left and small areas of retouching upper centre; and on the lower left edge. There are small scuffs on the lower edge.