Walker Galleries (London); purchased there by Sir Robert Witt, London (1872-1952), L.2228b (support, lower left), n.d. (£25); Witt Bequest 1952

Blunt, Anthony, Hand-list of the drawings in the Witt Collection, London, 1956
p. 47

Watermark: Watermark: none.

Inscription: Recto: upper right of centre, black ink, described, signed and dated: “1 Redbreasted Linnet 2 Brown Linnet / 3 Cock Redpole 4 Hen Aberdevine 5 Twite / 6 Cock Aberdevine. / ISpackman Pinxt 1766_”; within drawing, each bird numbered, black ink: “6 5 / 4 / 2 / 3 / 1”. Verso: upper centre, brown ink: “The Twite is figured by Albin, in his 3d. vol / pl. 74. It is a pretty little Bird, very much / resembling a Linnet, it is particularly useful in / a collection of song birds, as it is always twittering / and in that way provokes other birds to sing.”; upper right, brown ink, cut off at right edge: “The Aberdevine is described in Willughby's Ornithology p. [...] / by the name of Siskin. And Albin has figured it in his / vol. pl. 76. This is a bird of passage, coming to us in the win[...] / and leaving us again in the spring. It is supposed to come fr[...] / Germany, but it is only in very hard winters that these birds / come over to us. This Bird has a short, lively, wild note, / with which it provokes other birds to sing, and is therefore / very proper to be [illegible word] into a collection of song birds. / Th. W. S.”; centre, brown ink: “The Redpole is figured in Albin vol 3d. pl. 75.”; lower left, brown ink: “The Red + brown Linnet are described in Will. Orn. p. 258. / Red Linnet is figured in Albin vol 3d. pl. 72.”.

Collector's mark: Support (historic), Recto: lower left corner, stamped in black: Sir Robert Witt (L.2228b).