Great Grey Owl, Pl. 8 — Kouba

The Great Grey Owl, a phantom of the boreal forest, depicted with haunting realism in this striking chromolithographic plate.

Original Czech title: Sova laponská. Syrnium lapponicum. František Kouba. Plate 8. From Zoographia Infinita. Published in Prague, c. 1900.

The Czech and German ornithological atlases of the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, such as Zoographia Infinita, represent a high point in scientific bird illustration, combining artistic skill with scientific accuracy. The Great Grey Owl's imposing facial disc and penetrating gaze made it an especially compelling subject.

Chromolithograph. Sheet size approximately 41.0 × 30.2 cm. Very good condition.