Love Birds in Basket with Flowering Vines, 1804 Watercolor in Antique Lemon Gold Frame littens with some foxing

with some foxing

charcoal and graphite on light card-weight paper

looks great

Paint loss and wear as evident

needlepoint make it feel about as close to a Fraktur drawing as any I've come across

Love Birds in Basket with Flowering Vines, 1804 Watercolor in Antique Lemon Gold Frame littens with some foxingThe back of this charming watercolor is dated, in graphite, 1804 which of course I forgot to photograph when I had it out of the frame, but it is easy to open and see. A sign of spring arriving 222 years ago! I can't resist a watercolor like this, and love the way both the straw of the nest and the weave of the rich yellow basket were invested with a great deal of attention. And then these love birds themselves, full of life and also quite relatable,