WOODCOCK, FIRST ARRIVAL
signed and dated Archibald Thorburn 1906 lower left
watercolour on paper
39 x 54cm; 15 1/2 x 13 1/2in
57.5 x 72cm; 22 3/4 x28 1/4in (framed)

Property from a Deceased Estate, London

Provenance
Acquired by the grandfather of the present owners, an avid ornithologist who knew the artist's niece, circa 1960

Considered one of the most popular painters of his generation in British wildlife among ornithologists and naturalists, Thorburn’s ability to empathise with birds in their natural surroundings likely derives from his upbringing in Scotland. He was born in Dumfries and his father, Robert Thorburn (1818-1885), was miniaturist to Queen Victoria.

Thorburn's reputation was established in 1887 when he was commissioned to illustrate Lord Lilford's Coloured Figures of the Birds of the British Isles for which he produced some 300 watercolours. From then on Thorburn illustrated many sporting and natural history books including his own, Birds of Prey, British Birds and A Naturalist’s Sketchbook. The first of his famous RSPB Christmas cards was produced in 1899 and became an annual tradition throughout his life. As well as birds he painted many sketches of mammals, flowers, fungi and insects. Working mostly in watercolour, his work was particularly influential on artists Otto Murray-Dixon (1885-1917) and Philip Rickman (see lots 105 & 106).

As evident in the present composition, Thorburn took a narrative approach to his work, showing the bird's habitat, the weather conditions and the wider surroundings such as the foaming sea in the background. The setting conveys the arduous journey a woodcock undertook from the Continent, possibly from as far away as Finland or Russia. He positioned the bird sheltering behind the dunes, having arrived safely to winter in Scotland, its wing spread on the side for us to admire the softness of the plumage and the intricate patterns in many shades of brown of the feathers.