Fine Art Poster
From £28
A giclée print on 200gsm matte fine art paper, using a twelve-colour process for accurate, fade-resistant colour. Supplied unframed, delivered flat or rolled.
Psittacula kuhlii (Kuhl's Lorikeets) - Edward Lear
Regular price
£28.00 GBP
Sale price
£28.00 GBP
Regular price
Archival giclée
Frames arrive ready to hang
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Made to order
Description
A detailed zoological lithograph by Edward Lear, depicting two Kuhl's lorikeets with precise anatomical accuracy and hand-coloured detail.
This lithograph depicts the Rimatara lorikeet, scientifically known as Psittacula kuhlii. Produced by Edward Lear during the early 1830s, the work originates from his publication, Illustrations of the Family of Psittacidae, or Parrots. Lear, a self-taught artist, gained early recognition for his precise observations of exotic birds held in the menagerie of the Zoological Society of London.
The composition focuses on two birds perched upon a bare, textured branch. Lear employs a combination of lithographic printing and delicate hand-applied watercolour to capture the plumage. The birds exhibit a striking contrast between their deep crimson chests and the dark green feathers of their wings and backs. The artist pays particular attention to the anatomical structure of the lorikeets, ensuring the curvature of the beaks and the positioning of the claws appear accurate to the species. The background remains stark and unadorned, a common convention in nineteenth-century scientific plates, which directs the viewer's attention entirely to the biological subject.
Lear's approach to this series differed from many of his contemporaries. Rather than relying on preserved skins, he frequently sketched live specimens. This method allowed him to convey a sense of posture and character often absent in static taxidermy-based illustrations. The plate serves as a record of the scientific curiosity prevalent in the Victorian era, when the classification and documentation of global fauna occupied a central position in academic and public discourse. The print reflects the technical standards of the period, where the marriage of lithography and manual colouring allowed for the mass production of high-quality scientific imagery for collectors and naturalists alike.
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Because every print is made to order, we don't offer change-of-mind returns, refunds or exchanges. If your order arrives faulty, damaged or incorrect, we'll replace it free of charge — just contact us within 48 hours of delivery. See our refunds page for full details.
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Manufacturing
Each print is produced to order using 12-colour giclée printing on FSC-certified archival paper. Designed in Britain and printed at your nearest production hub to reduce waste and speed up delivery.
Care and materials
Specific Features
Every Solis piece is made to order with archival, gallery-quality materials built to last.
- Museum-grade giclée printing for rich, fade-resistant colour
- Archival matte fine-art paper, FSC-certified
- Multiple sizes and framing options available
- Frames in black, natural wood, dark wood or white
- Framed prints arrive ready to hang
Care & Cleaning
To keep your artwork looking its best:
- Dust gently with a soft, dry cloth
- Avoid prolonged direct sunlight
- Never use liquid cleaners on the print or canvas surface
- Keep in a dry, room-temperature space
- Handle prints with clean, dry hands
Materials & Sizing
Museum-grade giclée on FSC-certified archival matte paper, with framed and canvas options.
- Paper sizes: A4, A3, A2, A1, A0 and B2 (50×70 cm)
- Canvas: XS (20×30 cm) to Large (60×90 cm)
- Frames: black, natural wood, dark wood or white
Complete The Look
Psittacula kuhlii (Kuhl's Lorikeets) - Edward Lear
Regular price
From £28.00 GBP
Sale price
From £28.00 GBP
Regular price
Fine Art Poster / A4 (21x29.7 cm) / -
Artist Biography
Edward Lear
By the time Edward Lear was 20, he had completed his scientific illustration volume on parrots for the Zoological Society of London, a project that caught the attention of the 13th Earl of Derby. That commission led to a five-year residency at Knowsley Hall, where Lear drew the Earl's private menagerie and, for the grandchildren of the household, filled notebooks with limericks and comic drawings. A Book of Nonsense was published in 1846; the expanded edition under his own name in 1861 established him as the forefather of the limerick as a literary form.
His landscape career ran simultaneously. From the 1840s he made extended sketching tours through Italy, Albania, Greece, Egypt, Palestine, India, and Ceylon, producing illustrated travel journals of careful documentary precision. In 1846 Queen Victoria sought him out as a drawing teacher, having admired his Italian lithographs; he gave her twelve lessons. Brief study under William Holman Hunt in 1852 introduced Pre-Raphaelite rigour to his oils, though his watercolours and pen-and-ink drawings remain his most direct legacy.
Lear suffered from epilepsy throughout his life, calling it the Demon and concealing it carefully from a society ill-equipped to understand it. He was severely shortsighted from childhood and lived with considerable loneliness, despite the warmth of his nonsense verse. He settled in San Remo in 1871, eventually naming his house Villa Tennyson after his close friend Alfred, Lord Tennyson, for whom he composed settings of 212 poems.
His cat, Foss, was his companion for 15 years. When Lear moved to a larger house in San Remo, he had it built to identical proportions so Foss would not be disoriented. Foss died two months before Lear, in January 1888. The Owl and the Pussycat (1871), containing the word runcible spoon, now in everyday English use, is his most enduring poem.
His landscape career ran simultaneously. From the 1840s he made extended sketching tours through Italy, Albania, Greece, Egypt, Palestine, India, and Ceylon, producing illustrated travel journals of careful documentary precision. In 1846 Queen Victoria sought him out as a drawing teacher, having admired his Italian lithographs; he gave her twelve lessons. Brief study under William Holman Hunt in 1852 introduced Pre-Raphaelite rigour to his oils, though his watercolours and pen-and-ink drawings remain his most direct legacy.
Lear suffered from epilepsy throughout his life, calling it the Demon and concealing it carefully from a society ill-equipped to understand it. He was severely shortsighted from childhood and lived with considerable loneliness, despite the warmth of his nonsense verse. He settled in San Remo in 1871, eventually naming his house Villa Tennyson after his close friend Alfred, Lord Tennyson, for whom he composed settings of 212 poems.
His cat, Foss, was his companion for 15 years. When Lear moved to a larger house in San Remo, he had it built to identical proportions so Foss would not be disoriented. Foss died two months before Lear, in January 1888. The Owl and the Pussycat (1871), containing the word runcible spoon, now in everyday English use, is his most enduring poem.
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Fine Art Framed
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The same fine art print in a solid wood frame with UV-protective acrylic glaze and rigid backing. Five frame colours. Arrives ready to hang.
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