Ruru & Laughing Owl by John Keulemans

Antique NZ Print (Modern re-print)

Approx print size in millimetres: 420 x 300

Ruru, Morepork, Spiloglaux Novae Zealandiae and Whēkau, Laughing Owl, Sceloglaux albifacie. Modern print of the original hand-coloured lithograph (this was illustration plate number 4 from “A history of the birds of New Zealand” by Walter Buller published in 1873). This extremely high quality modern day reprint shows how modern high resolution scanning combined with the latest giclee printing technology can breathe new life into an artwork that had been buried in the government archives for decades. Keulemans drew from stuffed birds and specimens provided by Buller. For each illustration he first produced a drawing for Buller’s inspection, then a coloured painting, which served as the basis for each lithograph.