Western Rock Parrot (*Neonanodes petrophilus*) – Original lithograph by Green, Mathews (1910–27)

Western Rock-Parrot: Coastal Silence in Olive and Sea-Blue

This original early twentieth-century hand-colored lithograph depicts Neonanodes petrophilus, titled on the plate as the Western Rock-Parrot. The sheet forms part of Gregory M. Mathews’ monumental publication The Birds of Australia, illustrated by Roland Green and issued by Witherby & Co.

Set against a spare coastal landscape of rock and water, the parrot appears not as a decorative emblem on a branch, but as a true inhabitant of place—an image defined by atmosphere, restraint, and the quiet geometry of shoreline forms.

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Visual and Aesthetic Analysis

Roland Green constructs the plate around tonal harmony rather than high contrast. The bird’s olive-green plumage is subtly modelled with fine feather texture, while cool blue panels along the wing and tail echo the sea tones behind. This repetition of blue across subject and setting creates a coherent chromatic architecture that feels calm and modern.

The rocks are rendered with restrained graphite-like shading, providing weight and structure without visual clutter. Beneath, the water is treated in broken, luminous strokes—enough to suggest movement and salt air, yet kept deliberately understated so the parrot remains the clear focal point.

About the Species

The Western Rock-Parrot is associated with coastal and offshore environments in southern and western Australia, often linked to rocky shorelines and nearby islands. Its habitat specificity makes it an especially evocative subject within Australian ornithology, where place and ecology are inseparable from identification.

In Mathews’ early twentieth-century survey, plates like this extend beyond taxonomy: they preserve a sense of landscape and ecological character, revealing how natural history illustration could document not only species, but the world it belongs to.

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: Western Rock-Parrot (Neonanodes petrophilus)
• 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