Ara ararauna
The Blue-and-yellow Macaw (Ara ararauna) is one of the most instantly recognisable parrots of the South American tropics, its plumage a striking contrast of cobalt-blue wings and back against a rich golden-yellow breast. Native to the forests and wetlands of the Amazon basin, from Panama down through Brazil, Bolivia and Paraguay, the species has long drawn the attention of naturalists and artists alike, its bold colouring and expressive character making it a natural subject for wildlife illustration.
This watercolour forms part of the Taylor White Collection, a body of 18th-century natural history studies noted for their close observation and delicate handling of colour. The artist has captured the macaw with particular attention to the layered texture of its feathers and the pale, bare facial skin marked with fine lines, a detail characteristic of the species and one that required a practised hand to render convincingly in watercolour.
Macaws such as this held a particular fascination for 18th-century naturalists, arriving in Europe via trade routes from the New World and offering a rare glimpse of tropical colour to audiences who would otherwise never encounter such a bird. Works like this one sit within a wider tradition of natural history illustration that valued scientific accuracy alongside artistic skill, predating photography as the primary means of recording the natural world.
This Giclée print reproduces the original 18th-century watercolour with museum-quality accuracy, preserving the subtlety of its colour and linework. It is available as a fine art print and across a range of homeware, including mugs, coasters, greetings cards, and journals, as part of the Taylor White Collection at Ellie White.
c.1720 - c.1790
Peter Paillou (c.1712-1782) was a natural history painter of Huguenot descent, born in London to a family that had emigrated from France in the previous century. He trained under the London painter Jacob Tribble before establishing himself as an animal and bird painter. Following Charles Collins's death in 1744, Paillou took over as the principal artist for the naturalist and collector Taylor White, contributing well over 100 signed watercolours of birds, mammals and reptiles, with many more attributed to him on stylistic grounds. He continued to paint for other patrons throughout his career, including the naturalist Thomas Pennant, whose zoological illustrations Paillou supplied for British Zoology and Arctic Zoology, and was later elected a member of the Society of Artists, exhibiting watercolours of birds in London. Paillou died in 1782.
Credit: Taylor White Collection, Rare Books & Special Collections, McGill University Library.