Whooper Swan — engraving

"The Whooper Swan".

Technique, Material: Chromolithograph / Paper
Artist: Archibald Thorburn,  Engraver: 
Date, Publisher: Lith. Highest Approved Partnership of I. N. Kushnerev and Co., Moscow.
Size: 25,5x16 cm.

The Whooper Swan (Latin: Cygnus musicus, Bechst.) is a large waterfowl species of the duck family, one of the most beautiful and graceful representatives of European avifauna. The Latin name Cygnus musicus ("singing swan") was proposed by the German ornithologist Johann Matthäus Bechstein (1757–1822) , a renowned naturalist who authored many classic works on ornithology and forestry and made significant contributions to the systematics of European birds. In modern scientific classification, the species is more commonly known as Cygnus cygnus, but the name given by Bechstein retains historical significance.

The Whooper Swan is distinguished from its close relative the Mute Swan primarily by its voice — resonant trumpet-like calls, especially audible during flight. The plumage of adult birds is pure white, with a yellow and black bill. It is one of the largest swan species: body length can reach 140–165 cm, wingspan 205–235 cm, and weight 8–10 kg. The Whooper Swan breeds in the northern latitudes of Eurasia — from Scandinavia to Kamchatka, preferring secluded lakes and river backwaters. It winters on ice-free waters of Western Europe, the Caspian and Black Seas, Japan, and China. It is listed in the Red Data Books of many Russian regions as a rare species.

The scale 1/6 is indicated on the sheet. In this series of ornithological chromolithographs, this fraction denotes the ratio of the depicted size to the bird's actual size. This means the bird in the illustration is shown at a scale of one-sixth (1:6) of its natural size. 

The Artist
The drawing for this chromolithograph was created by the eminent British animal painter Archibald Thorburn (1860–1935) , recognized as a classic master of ornithological illustration. The son of a miniature painter to Queen Victoria, Thorburn developed his unique style combining scientific accuracy with artistic expressiveness and meticulously rendered natural backgrounds . He gained worldwide fame for his 268 watercolors for Lord Lilford's monumental work "Coloured Figures of the Birds of the British Islands" (1885–1898), as well as illustrations for game and hunting books.

The Publisher
This lithograph was printed by the printing house of the I. N. Kushnerev and Co. Partnership in Moscow. This enterprise, founded in 1869 by Ivan Nikolayevich Kushnerev, had become one of the largest and most respected printing firms in the Russian Empire by the end of the 19th century . The Partnership's status as "Highest Approved" meant its charter had been personally approved by the Emperor, serving as a mark of exceptional trust and supreme quality. The printing house was renowned for its first-class execution of illustrated publications, including multi-colored chromolithographs. In 1900–1902, M. A. Menzbir's fundamental work "Hunting and Game Birds of European Russia and the Caucasus" was printed here, for which Thorburn created a significant portion of the original drawings . After the 1917 revolution, the enterprise was nationalized and transformed into the famous "Krasny Proletary" printing house.