Wood Duck (Aix sponsa)

Wood Duck (Aix sponsa), n.d. Grapite, sketch on paper by James Fenwick Lansdowne RCA, OC, OBC (1937-2008): Note: Image to be replaced
Wood Duck (Aix sponsa), n.d. Grapite, sketch on paper by James Fenwick Lansdowne RCA, OC, OBC (1937-2008)

Note: Image to be replaced

Name/Title

Wood Duck (Aix sponsa)

Entry/Object ID

2016.04.02

Description

Drawing This image is a detailed study of a male and female Wood Duck (Aix sponsa), a species of perching duck found in North America. The drake Wood Duck is one of the most colourful North American waterfowl. While its population declined seriously in the late 1900s due to hunting and loss of nesting sites, it has recovered to healthy numbers as a result of intensive wildlife management.

Artwork Details

Medium

Graphite on paper

Made/Created

Artist Information

Artist

James Fenwick Lansdowne, RCA, OC, OBC (1937-2008)

Role

Artist

Date made

n.d.

Time Period

20th Century

Notes

ARTIST BIOGRAPHY Born in Hong Kong, James Fenwick Lansdowne was a self-taught Canadian wildlife artist, internationally recognized and often described as the successor to J. J. Audubon, North America's best-known wildlife artist. Lansdowne was taught to paint by his mother, an accomplished artist trained in traditional Chinese watercolour techniques. Lansdowne grew up in Victoria, B.C., his family having moved to Canada at the end of World War II. In high school, he studied the anatomy of birds at the Royal British Columbia Provincial Museum where, in 1952, he held his first exhibition at age fourteen. His second show of watercolours followed in 1956 at the Royal Ontario Museum where his work first attracted national attention. His first international exhibition followed in 1958 at the National Audubon Society in New York. This was followed in the 1960s and beyond by exhibitions in centres world-wide such as the Art Gallery of Greater Victoria; the Tryon Gallery in London, England; the Natural History Museum, Beijing; and the Smithsonian Institution, Washington. His work is held in private, corporate and public collections around the world, including that of the British Royal Family. Lansdowne’s technical and artistic ability to portray a bird in paint was extraordinary, and his subjects are thought by many to display a greater life-like quality and more natural posture than Audubon's. In Canada, he is perhaps best known for his five-volume large format series of books covering many of the country's birds "'Birds of the West Coast", "Birds of the Northern Forest", and "Birds of the Eastern Forest") or his "Rare Birds of China" ten-year project commissioned as a unique record of China's rare and endangered birds. In 1974, he was elected a member of the Royal Canadian Academy of Arts. In 1976, Lansdowne was made an Officer of the Order of Canada. In 1995, he was awarded the Order of British Columbia. He died in Victoria, B.C. at age 71. For further information see - J. Fenwick Lansdowne, “Birds of the Eastern Forest: Vol. 1” (1968), “Birds of the Eastern Forest: Vol. 2” (1970) and “Birds of the West Coast, Vol. I” (1980), available in the UCBC Library.

Inscription/Signature/Marks

Type

Inscription, Signature

Location

Titled lower left in pencil: Wood duck Signed lower right in pencil: J.F. Lansdowne

Dimensions

Dimension Description

Support

Height

21.8 cm

Width

21 cm

Acquisition

Acquisition Method

Purchase

Date

May 19, 2016

Notes

Kilshaws Lot #2 incl. Lansdowne drawing and book "Birds of the West Coast".

Relationships

Related Entries

Notes

By James Fenwick Lansdowne: 2016.04.01 Mallard (Anas platyrhychos) 2016.04.02 Wood Duck (Aix sponsa) 2022.02.01 Pied-Billed Grebe (Podilymbus podiceps)