Kendall House Antiques Ltd. has dated this piece to the 1900s.
Just 23cm High x 18cm Wide & 11.5 cm Deep.
The Gouldian finch was described by British ornithologist John Gould in 1844 as Amadina gouldiae, in honour of his deceased wife Elizabeth.
William Charles Shelbrooke (1860-1939), Taxidermist & Furrier, 12 & 65 Friar’s Street, Bridgnorth, Shropshire. Shelbrooke was an apprentice of Peter Spicer & Sons, Leamington and his work often carries a watercolour back drop (as with this example) in a similar vein to Spicers.
The following is an extract from my own book published back in 2001 ‘A Record of Spicer’s’ that covered the history of this famous Leamington Spa taxidermy firm.
“Peter Spicer had two notable apprentices who went on to run their own successful businesses, and whose style and similarity can be seen here, Quatremaine of Stratford upon Avon, and W. Shelbrooke of Bridgnorth, whose label describes him as being “of late with Peter Spicer Leamington”.
A further example of Shelbrooke’s work (stoat) can be seen in the Northgate Museum in Bridgenorth.
John Gould FRS (1804 – 1881) was an English ornithologist who published monographs on birds, illustrated with plates produced by his wife, Elizabeth Gould, and several other artists, including Edward Lear, Henry Constantine Richter, Joseph Wolf and William Matthew Hart. Because of his 1840s seven-volume series The Birds of Australia and its updates he has been considered the father of bird study in Australia, and the Gould League in Australia is named after him.
Kendall House Antiques Ltd. has dated this piece to the 1900s.
Kendall house antiques a traditional shop in the north cotswold’s market town of chipping campden.
You can view the stock and full dealer information on the Kendall House Antiques Ltd. Profile Page
Victorian Taxidermy - A Delightful and Very Small Case Containing a Gouldian Finch by W. C. Shelbrooke of Bridgnorth
