Jacques Barraband (French, 1767/68-1809)

The greater part of Barraband's oeuvre consists of drawings of carefully observed flowers, insects and birds. His exceptional talent as a draughtsman, combined with scientific accuracy, led him to be employed by Emperor Napoleon and later Empress Joséphine. Barraband's most important achievement was undoubtedly the series of over 300 drawings which he executed for Levaillant's Histoire naturelle des oiseaux de paradis et des rolliers, published in 1806. This well preserved sheet, showing a Green Jay (also known as Peruvian Jay), is a fine example from this group and was part of the famous Natural History collection of Marcel Jeanson (1885-1942), sold at Christie's in 2010.