The Bird Paintings of C.G. Finch-Davies by Finch-Davies, Claude Gibney
The Bird Paintings of C.G. Finch-Davies by Finch-Davies, Claude Gibney
Limited issue no 506 of 5026 in pristine condition - Issued by the Transvaal Musuem in 1984,
Hardcover, ISBN 9780620074599
Publisher: Winchester Press, 1984
Condition: Both Book and Hard cover tan cloth fabric Slipcase in a Very Good condition.
Claude Gibney Finch-Davies ( 1875 - 1920 ) was a British soldier, ornithologist & painter who produced series of paintings of birds of South Africa in the early part of the 20th century. He was born in Delhi, India, the third child & eldest son of Major-General Sir William & Lady Elizabeth B. Davies. Having finished his schooling, Davies joined the Cape Mounted Riflemen in 1893 at their recruiting office in London. In that same year his regiment saw service in Pondoland in SA. They were sent there to keep the peace after that territory had been annexed by the Cape Colony. As a professional soldier Davies was posted to various remote places in the Eastern Cape & his fostered interest in natural history & in particular birdlife. Within a year or two, he was collecting bird specimens & starting sketches & paintings. In his field sketchbooks he provided copious notes about each species he illustrated - at first his own field observations, but later augmented by information culled from books & scientific journals. His style of painting rapidly evolved to show great detail in the plumage while retaining a lifelike appearance. By 1905 he had produced some 200 paintings of consistency high quality & unusual beauty. The original plates are kept at the Transvaal Museum ( now called the Ditsong National Museum of Natural History ) in Pretoria, South Africa from which this limited edition book was printed.
