Black-tailed Parrot (*Polytelis anthopeplus*) – Original lithograph by Green, Mathews (1910–27)

Regent Parrots: Golden Contrast in the Australian Woodland

This original early twentieth-century hand-colored lithograph depicts Polytelis anthopeplus, the Regent Parrot. The plate belongs to The Birds of Australia, Gregory M. Mathews’ authoritative ornithological publication, illustrated here by Roland Green.

Two individuals are presented in deliberate chromatic opposition: one luminous yellow-green with crimson wing accents, the other deeper olive with subtle red markings. Their pairing transforms scientific observation into a composition of vivid contrast and elegant symmetry.

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Visual and Aesthetic Analysis

Green builds the composition around dynamic colour interplay. The bright yellow of the forward bird radiates warmth, balanced by the darker, cooler tones of its companion. Crimson flashes along the wing coverts introduce depth and visual punctuation, while the elongated tails create sweeping diagonals that animate the sheet.

The surrounding foliage remains intentionally understated, rendered in pale tonal washes that enhance depth without competing with the birds’ chromatic presence. The result is a plate that reads immediately as decorative, yet retains scientific precision in feather articulation and anatomical structure.

About the Species

The Regent Parrot inhabits southeastern Australia, favouring riverine forests and woodland environments. Its elongated form and distinctive coloration distinguish it within the parrot family.

For early twentieth-century ornithologists, such species offered an opportunity to document subtle sexual variation and regional diversity within Australia’s expanding avian taxonomy.

Condition Report

Very good antique condition. Fresh original hand-coloring with strong lithographic impression. Printed on fine early twentieth-century wove paper. Minor age toning slightly more visible along the outer margins, consistent with age.

Details

• Author: Gregory M. Mathews
• Illustrator: Roland Green (“Green del.”)
• Work: The Birds of Australia
• Species: Regent Parrot (Polytelis anthopeplus)
• Period: circa 1910
• Technique: Original hand-colored lithograph
• Paper: Fine original wove paper
• Publisher: Witherby & Co.

For further insight into Roland Green’s contribution to ornithological illustration: Roland Green – Dynamic Vision and Field-Born Precision in Bird Art