A pair of hand coloured etchings with pigeons was printed around 1810 by Imprimerie de Millevay in Paris after watercolours by Pauline Knip née Pauline Rifer de Courcelles (1781 – 1851) famous French bird artist who was married to Joseph August Knip from 1808 until they divorced in 1824. Her paintings of birds, particularly the pigeons, were used in Coenraad Jacob Temminck's multi-part work Natural History of Pigeons and Gallinaces. She altered parts nine and later of this multipart work, retitling it to Les Pigeons by Madame Knip with Temminck only being author of the text. However, she sent a copy to Temminck that was not tampered. She was the step-mother of Dutch artist Henriëtte Ronner-Knip. She was born in Paris. Her father was a senior navy officer. She studied art under Jacques Barraband and exhibited her watercolors and pen illustrations at the 1808, 1810, 1812 and 1814 salons. She met Joseph Knip, a student of Van Spaendonck, at Barraband's studio. Madame de Courcelles was a friend of Marie Louise, the wife of Napoleon Bonaparte, and had royal patronage. Temminck discovered the alterations only after 1812 and found that he could not complain about the piracy because of her powerful friends. He however added a note on the matter at the end of the third and last volume of his 1815 work Histoire naturelle générale des pigeons et des gallinacés.

Literature: Ronsil, René (1957). "Madame Knip, nee Pauline de Courcelles, and her ornithological work". Journal of the Society for the Bibliography of Natural History. 3; 

artist lexicons by Bénézit; Thieme/Becker.

Inscription: on the backsite titled and inscribed in French: 1. Colombi- Galline Pigmé, Columba Minuta Lath. de l'Imprimerie de Millevoy, Pauline de Courcelles Fem.( wife of)  Knip, Pinx.( painted).

Technique: hand coloured etchings, luxuriousy deep gold-plated frames (frame producer Rudolf Berger, Bern/Switzerland).

Measurements: each only image w 7" x h 5 7/8"(18 x 15 cm), framed 12 3/4" x 11 1/3" (32,5 x 29 cm).

Condition: few water stains (see photos).