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Red-faced Malkoha (Phaenicophaeus pyrrhocephalus) – Original Antique Bird Print by Keulemans
€345.00
Tax included
Original nineteenth-century bird print depicting the remarkable Red-faced Malkoha (Phaenicophaeus pyrrhocephalus), illustrated by Johannes Gerardus Keulemans for William Vincent Legge’s celebrated Birds of Ceylon. With its vivid scarlet face, elegant elongated tail and refined tropical palette, this striking ornithological lithograph combines scientific precision with exceptional decorative presence.
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Authentic antique prints
Original engravings from the 17th–19th century.
Red-faced Malkoha: Tropical Elegance and Colour Harmony in Victorian Bird Art
This original nineteenth-century bird print depicts the extraordinary Red-faced Malkoha (Phaenicophaeus pyrrhocephalus), illustrated by Johannes Gerardus Keulemans for William Vincent Legge’s celebrated Birds of Ceylon, published in the late nineteenth century.
Among Sri Lanka’s most visually distinctive endemic birds, the species is rendered here with exceptional elegance — combining scientific observation with a highly decorative composition shaped by vivid colour contrasts and refined tropical atmosphere.
— • —
Visual and Aesthetic Analysis
The composition is immediately defined by the striking chromatic contrast of the bird itself: the brilliant scarlet face and pale green bill create a vivid focal point, balanced by deep emerald and blue-green plumage that gives the engraving remarkable visual richness.
Keulemans structures the image with elegant asymmetry, placing the dominant bird across the upper portion of the plate while a smaller companion introduces scale, rhythm and narrative depth. The elongated tail feathers extend the composition outward, creating movement and reinforcing the exotic character of the species.
The softly rendered background foliage provides atmosphere without distraction, allowing the dramatic colour palette to remain central. Particularly notable is the harmony between tropical intensity and compositional restraint — a defining quality of Keulemans’ finest ornithological work.
The result is a visually sophisticated engraving of exceptional decorative appeal, equally compelling for collectors of ornithology and interiors seeking refined natural history imagery with strong aesthetic presence.
About the Red-faced Malkoha
The Red-faced Malkoha (Phaenicophaeus pyrrhocephalus) is an endemic bird of Sri Lanka, admired for its vivid facial colouring, elongated tail and elegant tropical silhouette. It inhabits forested areas and has long fascinated ornithologists for its unusual appearance and rarity.
During the nineteenth century, birds such as this became celebrated subjects of natural history publishing, symbolising both scientific curiosity and the visual richness of tropical ecosystems newly documented by European exploration.
Heritage Stories
This engraving belongs to Birds of Ceylon, William Vincent Legge’s important ornithological study of Sri Lankan birdlife, illustrated by Johannes Gerardus Keulemans, one of the most celebrated bird artists of the nineteenth century.
Keulemans possessed a rare ability to balance anatomical precision with decorative refinement, producing plates that remain admired not only by ornithologists but also by collectors and lovers of natural history interiors.
Discover more about the artist: Johannes Gerardus Keulemans — Precision and Passion in Ornithological Illustration .
Browse the complete collection: Keulemans – Birds of Ceylon Collection .
For readers wishing to better understand antique prints — from technique and paper to collecting criteria — explore our guide: Antique Prints Guide .
Condition Report
Very good to excellent antique condition. An exceptionally fresh and crisp impression, retaining beautifully preserved original colouring and a remarkably bright, clean appearance. Printed on fine nineteenth-century paper with generous margins. No watermark observed. Minor signs of age may be present, consistent with the period, but the plate remains unusually well preserved and visually striking.
Details
- Author: William Vincent Legge
- Work: Birds of Ceylon
- Artist: Johannes Gerardus Keulemans
- Artist credit: “J.C. Keulemans lith.” present in the plate
- Printer: “Hanhart imp.” present in the plate
- Species: Red-faced Malkoha (Phaenicophaeus pyrrhocephalus)
- Date: Late 19th century
- Technique: Original nineteenth-century lithograph with refined original hand-colouring
- Paper: Original nineteenth-century paper
- Watermark: None observed
- Dimensions: approx. 38 × 28 cm (sheet)
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Original nineteenth-century bird print depicting the remarkable Red-faced Malkoha (Phaenicophaeus pyrrhocephalus), illustrated by Johannes Gerardus Keulemans for William Vincent Legge’s celebrated Birds of Ceylon. With its vivid scarlet face, elegant elongated tail and refined tropical palette, this striking ornithological lithograph combines scientific precision with exceptional decorative presence.