Dodo Birds

27 x 19 cm (10.6 x 7.4 inches)
Die Dronte
The first recorded mention of the Dodo was by Dutch sailors in 1598. In the following years, the bird was hunted by sailors and invasive species, while its habitat was being destroyed. The last widely accepted sighting of a dodo was in 1662. Dodo skeletons are extremely rare - there is only one known complete one and in 2016 a partial skeleton was expected to fetch close to $1 million at auction. Antique prints of dodos are aso exceedingly rare.

This antique lithograph was made in about 1910 and is in excellent condition. It is from a rare set of collecting cards about dinosaurs, prehistoric animals and strange animals, Tiere der Urwelt (animals of the prehistoric world) by Heinrich Harder. On the back is text about the animal by the naturalist Wilhelm Bölsche. They remain some of the most intriguing images of dinosaurs and prehistoric animals and are still referred to. Harder is well known for his murals of extinct creatures at Berlin Zoo, and was art professor at Berlin University.

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