Jacques BARRABAND Aubusson, 1767 - Lyon, 1809 The Screaming Eagle (young) Watercolour over pencil line Signed 'Barraband.' lower right Annotated 'pl. 2 6.1' lower left, 'M. Savigny / N° 24' on verso and 'Bon à tirer Savigny' on the mount on verso (Pitting and traces of damp) Spotted eagle (juvenile), watercolour on pencil, signed, by J. Barraband 53 x 39 cm (20,87 x 15,35 in.) Provenance: Collection of the Mallet family at Château du Montcel in Jouy-en-Josas until 1923; Acquired in 1923 by the archaeologist and historian Robert du Mesnil du Buisson (1895-1986); Collection of his son Jean-Charles du Mesnil du Buisson; Then by descent Commentary: Common eagle, white elk, black kite, Theban eagle and ascalaphic owl are just some of the bird species magnificently depicted here in watercolour by the painter Jacques Barraband. Renowned for the quality of his ornithological plates, he excels here in his meticulous rendering of the remarkably colourful and reflective plumage observed in Egypt at the very end of the 18th century. These watercolours were intended to illustrate the 'System of the Birds of Egypt and Syria' written by the zoologist Marie-Jules César Lelorme de Savigny (1777-1851) and published in 1809. The text itself was part of Volume I of the 'Histoire naturelle de la Description d'Egypte', or 'Recueil des observations et des recherches qui ont été faites en Egypte pendant l'expédition de l'armée française, publié par les ordres de sa majesté l'Empereur Napoléon le Grand'. This work, consisting of 9 volumes of text and 11 volumes of plates, is the fruit of the major scientific expedition that accompanied the Egyptian campaign launched in April 1798 by the Directoire. The publishing project, which began on the banks of the Nile in 1801, was not completed until some thirty years later. Its aim was to highlight the greatness of Egypt, which held a particular fascination for the French public at the time, through exploration missions. The aim was to produce the most complete panorama of Egypt possible, describing not only antiquities and architecture, but also costumes, vases, furniture and instruments. Flora and fauna were also described, with contributions from various scientists such as Etienne Geoffroy Saint-Hilaire, whose texts Barraband also illustrated. In all, the artist contributed 44 plates of birds to the 'Description de l'Egypte'. His drawings were then interpreted as engravings for the publication. Barraband's watercolours for Savigny were engraved by Louis Bouquet. The richness and quality of Barraband's work were recognised as early as 1804, when he was awarded a gold medal for his illustrations for Levaillant's 'Description d'Égypte' and 'Histoires naturelles'. This drawing is a preparation for plate 2 in 'Illustrations de Description de l'Egypte..., Histoire naturelle', t. I. We would like to thank Mr Robert Guinot for kindly confirming the authenticity of these watercolours in an email dated 19 January 2024 and for his help in writing this notice.