McGill Library
McLennan Library Building3459 rue McTavish
Montreal, Quebec
H3A 0C9
Rose-faced Parrot
Female Sun Conure
Aratinga solstitialis
Item
1 watercolour painting ; 56 x 39 cm + 1 leaf
Peter Paillou was born in London into a Huguenot family and was recognised in his own time as an eminent ‘bird painter’. In 1744 he began to paint for Taylor White and worked for him for almost thirty years, painting chiefly birds and mammals. He painted as well for Robert More, Joseph Banks, and for the Welsh naturalist Thomas Pennant. Many of his paintings of birds were used as the basis for book illustrations, often engraved by his colleague and fellow Huguenot, Peter Mazell. Paillou was elected to the Society of Artists and in 1763 he exhibited ‘A Piece of Birds, in Watercolours; the Hen of the Wood and Cock of the Red Game’. In 1778, to considerable approval, he also showed a picture of ‘A Horned Owl from Peru’, completely made from feathers.
Drawing of a female Sun Conure from a 18th century specimen [modern geographical distribution: the Neotropics and Brazil.] Attributed to Peter Paillou.
Manuscript note on front of drawing: The yellow headed Parrot with a Red forehead Phoebus Ps. Fronte Coccineo
Scientific name: Aratinga solstitialis
With manuscript text on accompanying leaf.
Transcription of manuscript note on accompanying leaf: Phoebus
Psitticus fronte
Coccineo
Ps: Br: rostro albo. fronte coccineo capite flavo
circulis albis occulos circumferentibus Dorso et alis viridibus
tectricibus dilute flavescentibus Remigibus
et Cauda caeruleis pedibus albis. pectore
coccineo et flavo variegato.
The yellow headed Parrot with
A Red forehead
Translation of manuscript note on accompanying leaf: Phoebus
Psitticus fronte
Coccineo
Ps: Br: [The parrot with a scarlet forehead] with a white beak; a scarlet forehead, a golden-yellow head,
white eye rings; a green back and wings;
pale golden-yellow covert feathers; blue flight feathers on the wings, and a blue tail; white feet; and a scarlet and golden-yellow variegated breast.
The yellow headed Parrot with
A Red forehead