Portrait of John Gould

John Gould Paintings: The 84 Most Famous, Through a Gallery's Eye

Updated November 2026 · ranked by our popularity score (searches, visits and orders for each work) · 84 works by John Gould in our catalogue

In short

To the gallery's eye, John Gould's most famous painting is Colibri Porte epee. western quoll and numbat complete the trio every eye recognises. Of the 84 works by John Gould in our catalog, the gallery presents the 84 most famous below, each original with its year, its museum and what makes it unique.

1804 – 1881, Lyme Regis Naturalistic illustration Most works: Huntington Museum of Art
Colibri Porte epee by John Gould1. Colibri Porte epee western quoll by John Gould2. western quoll numbat by John Gould3. numbat

The gallery's top 10 John Gould paintings

1
Colibri Porte epee by John Gould

Colibri Porte epee

Lithograph

Colibri Porte epee is a painting by John Gould. Born in 1804 in Lyme Regis, United Kingdom, Gould dedicated his life to the study of avian life. He was a monumental figure in the history of ornithology and bird art. His hands understood the delicate structure of feathers and the precise anatomy of flight. He died in 1881.

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2
western quoll by John Gould

western quoll

Painting

The artwork titled western quoll by John Gould presents a detailed study of a specific marsupial. This subject, also known as the chuditch, is a member of the family Dasyuridae. The depiction focuses on the physical presence of this animal, which is Western Australia's largest endemic mammalian carnivore. The artist, John Gould, captures the animal within its natural context, focusing on the specific anatomical features that define the species.

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3
numbat by John Gould

numbat

Watercolor

In this illustration, John Gould captures the numbat, a small, diurnal marsupial. The subject is the sole surviving member of the family Myrmecobiidae, a singular lineage of life. It is an insectivorous creature, shaped by a specialized need to consume termites. The artist focuses on the animal's distinct form, noting the reddish-brown fur and the white stripes that mark its back and rump. These markings offer a quiet camouflage within…

About this original
4
Burrowing bettong by John Gould

Burrowing bettong

Painting

The artwork titled Burrowing bettong is a creation of John Gould. Born in 1804 in Lyme Regis, United Kingdom, Gould spent his life observing the intricate details of the natural world. His hands were trained in the precise art of taxidermy, a skill that allowed him to capture the specific textures of fur and the sharp lines of a creature's form. He moved through the world of natural history with…

The story behind this original

John Gould paintings, ranked 11 to 84

11roselin arctique by John Gouldroselin arctique 12Diamant de Gould by John GouldDiamant de Gould 13Robin by John GouldRobin 14mesange sultane by John Gouldmesange sultane 15cochoa vert by John Gouldcochoa vert 16Soui Manga de Mrs Gould by John GouldSoui Manga de Mrs Gould 17perruche omnicolore by John Gouldperruche omnicolore 18Greenfinch by John GouldGreenfinch 19Paradisier de Wallace by John GouldParadisier de Wallace 20Jacana _Cr_te by John GouldJacana _Cr_te 21faisan ensanglante by John Gouldfaisan ensanglante 22greater stick nest rat by John Gouldgreater stick nest rat 23Yellowhammer by John GouldYellowhammer 24colibri tachete by John Gouldcolibri tachete 25Paradisier de Victoria by John GouldParadisier de Victoria 26Cacato_s de Leadbeater by John GouldCacato_s de Leadbeater 27thylacine by John Gouldthylacine 28paradisier sifilet by John Gouldparadisier sifilet 29Trogon des Philippines by John GouldTrogon des Philippines 30Brush-Tailed Bettong by John GouldBrush-Tailed Bettong 31Platycercus Flaveolus by John GouldPlatycercus Flaveolus 32Platycercus Pennantii by John GouldPlatycercus Pennantii 33western barred bandicoot by John Gouldwestern barred bandicoot 34ptilope magnifique by John Gouldptilope magnifique 35petit florican by John Gouldpetit florican 36s Mouse by John Goulds Mouse 37eurylaime psittacin by John Gouldeurylaime psittacin 38lori papou by John Gouldlori papou 39Faisan de Bulwer by John GouldFaisan de Bulwer 40long tailed hopping mouse by John Gouldlong tailed hopping mouse 41introduction by John Gouldintroduction 42podarge ocelle by John Gouldpodarge ocelle 43toolache wallaby by John Gouldtoolache wallaby 44tantale indien by John Gouldtantale indien 45crescent nail - tail wallaby by John Gouldcrescent nail - tail wallaby 46Colibri _Raquettes de Loddiges by John GouldColibri _Raquettes de Loddiges 47Untiteled by John GouldUntiteled 48banded hare - wallaby by John Gouldbanded hare - wallaby 49Aigle de Blyth by John GouldAigle de Blyth 50Tragopan de Temminck by John GouldTragopan de Temminck 51bilby by John Gouldbilby 52dibbler by John Goulddibbler 53bridled nail - tail wallaby by John Gouldbridled nail - tail wallaby 54rufous hare - wallaby by John Gouldrufous hare - wallaby 55Erismature _Barbillon by John GouldErismature _Barbillon 56eastern hare - wallaby by John Gouldeastern hare - wallaby 57grand eclectus by John Gouldgrand eclectus 58orange horseshoe bat by John Gouldorange horseshoe bat 59desert rat - kangaroo by John Goulddesert rat - kangaroo 60Paradisier du Roi de Saxe by John GouldParadisier du Roi de Saxe 61Rollier de Celebes by John GouldRollier de Celebes 62manucode royal by John Gouldmanucode royal 63br_ve grenadine by John Gouldbr_ve grenadine 64Br_ve d' Halmahera by John GouldBr_ve d' Halmahera 65enicure tachete by John Gouldenicure tachete 66pig - footed bandicoot by John Gouldpig - footed bandicoot 67martin chasseur paillete by John Gouldmartin chasseur paillete 68Colin des Montagnes by John GouldColin des Montagnes 69Br_ve de Gurney by John GouldBr_ve de Gurney 70koala by John Gouldkoala 71paradisier republicain by John Gouldparadisier republicain 72The Birds Of Asia by John GouldThe Birds Of Asia 73phodile calong by John Gouldphodile calong 74Jardinier _Nuque Rose by John GouldJardinier _Nuque Rose 75Toucan de Beauharnais by John GouldToucan de Beauharnais 76canard mandarin by John Gouldcanard mandarin 77lophophore resplendissant by John Gouldlophophore resplendissant 78Faisan de Lady Amherst by John GouldFaisan de Lady Amherst 79Ptilope de Wallace by John GouldPtilope de Wallace 80Jardinier du Prince d'Orange by John GouldJardinier du Prince d'Orange 81couroucou resplendissant by John Gouldcouroucou resplendissant 82Martin P_cheur _Dos Blanc by John GouldMartin P_cheur _Dos Blanc 83Paradisier de d'Albertis by John GouldParadisier de d'Albertis 84pic sultan by John Gouldpic sultan

John Gould's famous paintings, period by period

19th Century

4 works in this list
numbat, John Gould #3 numbat bilby, John Gould #51 bilby pig - footed bandicoot, John Gould #66 pig - footed bandicoot couroucou resplendissant, John Gould #81 couroucou resplendissant

Mature Period

15 works in this list
ir_ne vierge, John Gould #6 ir_ne vierge Paradisier petit emeraude, John Gould #7 Paradisier petit emeraude Metallura Cupreicauda; Coeligena Typica; And Aglaeactis Castelneaui, John Gould #8 Metallura Cupreicauda; Coeligena Typica; And Aglaeactis Castelneaui Pteroglossus Torquatus, from A Monograph of Ramphastidae or Family of Toucans, John Gould #10 Pteroglossus Torquatus, from A Monograph of Ramphastidae or Family of Toucans Huntington Museum of Art perruche omnicolore, John Gould #17 perruche omnicolore

The subjects that held John Gould's eye

The four subjects that come back most often in these originals, each with its finest example.

Birds 9 works

Colibri Porte epee, John Gould #1 Colibri Porte epee Trogon _Queue Blanche, John Gould #9 Trogon _Queue Blanche Pteroglossus Torquatus, from A Monograph of Ramphastidae or Family of Toucans, John Gould #10 Pteroglossus Torquatus, from A Monograph of Ramphastidae or Family of Toucans Huntington Museum of Art Yellowhammer, John Gould #23 Yellowhammer

Ornithology 9 works

ir_ne vierge, John Gould #6 ir_ne vierge Colibri _Raquettes de Loddiges, John Gould #46 Colibri _Raquettes de Loddiges manucode royal, John Gould #62 manucode royal enicure tachete, John Gould #65 enicure tachete

Wildlife 8 works

numbat, John Gould #3 numbat martin chasseur paillete, John Gould #67 martin chasseur paillete Martin P_cheur _Dos Blanc, John Gould #82 Martin P_cheur _Dos Blanc ir_ne vierge, John Gould #6 ir_ne vierge

Ornithology art 4 works

Paradisier petit emeraude, John Gould #7 Paradisier petit emeraude perruche omnicolore, John Gould #17 perruche omnicolore Faisan de Bulwer, John Gould #39 Faisan de Bulwer couroucou resplendissant, John Gould #81 couroucou resplendissant

The museums that keep John Gould's originals

The museum that holds the most of the paintings on this page.

Museum City Works by John Gould Paintings from this list
Huntington Museum of Art, HuntingtonHuntington Museum of Art Huntington 1 Pteroglossus Torquatus, from A Monograph of Ramphastidae or Family of Toucans

John Gould's paintings: the gallery answers

Which John Gould painting is the most famous of all?Reveal the answer

Colibri Porte epee. western quoll and numbat come next.

Which are John Gould's top 10 paintings?Reveal the answer

Colibri Porte epee, western quoll, numbat, Burrowing bettong, Banded Anteater, ir_ne vierge, Paradisier petit emeraude, Metallura Cupreicauda; Coeligena Typica; And Aglaeactis Castelneaui, Trogon _Queue Blanche and Pteroglossus Torquatus, from A Monograph of Ramphastidae or Family of Toucans. The ranking above gives each one's year and museum.

How many works did John Gould create?Reveal the answer

Our catalog holds 84 works by John Gould.

Where do John Gould's most famous originals hang?Reveal the answer

Mostly in Huntington Museum of Art (Huntington). The museum table above lists them all.

Which subjects did John Gould return to most?Reveal the answer

Birds (9), Ornithology (9) and Wildlife (8), across the 84 works on this page.

Which medium did John Gould work in most?Reveal the answer

Lithograph, for 2 of the 84 works on this page.

Which movement is John Gould associated with?Reveal the answer

Naturalistic illustration and Scientific illustration, judging by the originals on this page.

John Gould: the artist

John Gould: A Life Dedicated to Ornithology

  • Born: Lyme Regis, United Kingdom (1804)
  • Died: 1881

John Gould FR.S. (1804-1881) stands as a monumental figure in the history of ornithology and bird art. His prolific output, characterized by meticulously detailed illustrations and groundbreaking scientific observations, significantly advanced our understanding of avian life, particularly within Australia. He is often hailed as the "father of bird study" in Australia, an honor reflected in the naming of the Gould League after him.

Early Life and Career

  • Humble Beginnings: Born in Lyme Regis, Gould's early life was marked by modest circumstances. His father was a gardener, and young John received limited formal education.
  • Apprenticeship & Taxidermy: He served as a gardener under his father at Windsor Castle from 1818 to 1824, gaining valuable experience in horticulture. This period also fostered his burgeoning interest in natural history. Gould developed exceptional skills in taxidermy, which would become instrumental in his later career.
  • Zoological Society of London: In 1827, Gould secured a pivotal role as the first curator and preserver at the museum of the Zoological Society of London. This position provided him with unparalleled access to new bird specimens from around the world, fueling his passion for ornithological research.

Major Works and Scientific Contributions

  • Early Publications: Gould's career took off with publications like A Century of Birds from the Himalaya Mountains (1830-1832), illustrated by his wife, Elizabeth Gould, and other artists. These works established his reputation for detailed observation and artistic representation.
  • Collaboration with Artists: He frequently collaborated with talented artists such as Edward Lear, Henry Constantine Richter, Joseph Wolf, and William Matthew Hart to produce the stunning lithographic plates that accompanied his monographs.
  • Birds of Australia: His most significant achievement was The Birds of Australia (1840-1848), a monumental seven-volume work documenting the diverse avian fauna of the continent. This project, undertaken with his wife and collector John Gilbert, revolutionized ornithological knowledge of Australia.
  • Darwin's Finches: Gould’s crucial identification of what became known as "Darwin's finches" during the examination of specimens collected by Charles Darwin on the HMS Beagle played a pivotal role in the development of Darwin's theory of evolution by natural selection. He recognized these birds as a unique group, demonstrating their adaptation to different ecological niches on the Galapagos Islands.

Influence and Legacy

  • Impact on Evolutionary Theory: Gould’s work provided critical evidence supporting Darwin’s ideas about natural selection and species diversification. His observations of the finches' variations highlighted the power of environmental pressures in shaping evolutionary change.
  • Father of Australian Bird Study: He is widely regarded as the "father of bird study" in Australia, inspiring generations of ornithologists and conservationists. The Gould League, a prominent organization dedicated to bird education and conservation, stands as a testament to his enduring legacy.
  • Artistic Significance: Beyond his scientific contributions, Gould’s meticulously illustrated books remain valuable works of art, showcasing the beauty and diversity of avian life with remarkable accuracy and detail. His use of lithography and innovative techniques like gold leaf application set new standards for ornithological illustration.

Later Years and Death

  • Return to England: After a productive period in Australia, Gould returned to England in 1840. Sadly, his wife Elizabeth died in 1841.
  • Continued Publication: Despite personal loss, Gould continued publishing extensively, producing numerous monographs and contributing significantly to the field of ornithology until his death on February 3, 1881, in London. He left behind a vast body of work that continues to inspire and inform scientists and artists today.
All 84 works by John Gould →