Jean-Theodore Descourtilz (1796 or 1798 – 13 January 1855 in

Riacho das Almas Riacho das Almas (population 20,646) is a city in northeastern Brazil, in the State of Pernambuco. It lies in the Mesoregions of Brazil, mesoregion of Agreste of Pernambuco and has 313.99 sq/km of total area. Geography * State - Pernambuco * R ...

) was a French naturalist, painter and illustrator, the son of botanist

Michel Étienne Descourtilz Michel Étienne Descourtilz (25 November 1775, Boiste near Pithiviers – 1835 or 1836, Paris), was a French physician, botanist and historian of the Haitian Revolution. He was the father of illustrator Jean-Théodore Descourtilz, with whom he som ...

(1775-1835). Jean-Theodore was a noted ornithological artist who published ''Oiseaux brillans du Bresil'' in Paris in 1834, and did the plant illustrations for his father's ''Flore Medicale des Antilles'' published between 1821 and 1829. Jean-Theodore Descourtilz00

He arrived in Brazil in about 1826, since in 1831 his lavishly illustrated manuscript on the hummingbirds of São Paulo and Rio de Janeiro was acquired by the library of the ''National Museum''. In this work, referring to a particular hummingbird, he states that it was a species so rare that in five years of research he collected only two specimens. Descourtilz was an interested and meticulous observer, concerned about the accuracy of his notes which concisely described the habits and appearance of each species. His poetic and flowery text was in keeping with the period, and was invariably accompanied by colour plates of the species studied. ''Ornithologie Bresilienne ou Histoire des Oiseaux du Bresil'' describes and figures 164 species of Brazilian birds, 15 species and 1 genus new to science. Four parts of the work appeared, each with 12 plates by Descourtilz, before his sudden death in 1855. The plates were prepared in London, and apparently printed by

Waterlow and Sons Waterlow and Sons Limited was a major worldwide engraver of currency, postage stamps, stocks and bond certificates based in London, Watford and Dunstable in England. The company was founded as a family business in 1810. It was acquired in 1961 b ...

and also Joseph Masters and Co. In the late 1840s or early 1850s he was sent by the Government to the province of

Espírito Santo Espírito Santo (; ) is a state in southeastern Brazil. Its capital is Vitória, and its largest city is Serra. With an extensive coastline, the state hosts some of the country's main ports, and its beaches are significant tourist attracti ...

to investigate the animal life and to report on precious minerals. He discovered traces of gold and iron in the vicinity of the village Laurinha, created by the provincial government to house and

proselytise Proselytism () is the policy of attempting to convert people's religious or political beliefs. Carrying out attempts to instill beliefs can be called proselytization. Proselytism is illegal in some countries. Some draw distinctions between Chris ...

the

Puri Puri, also known as Jagannath Puri, () is a coastal city and a Nagar Palika, municipality in the state of Odisha in eastern India. It is the district headquarters of Puri district and is situated on the Bay of Bengal, south of the state ca ...

Indians. However, the ill-treatment suffered by the Indians drove them away and led to the decay of the village. At the site there was a village that eventually became the city of Conceição do Castelo on the headwaters of the Rio Castelo, a tributary of the Itapemirim. Descourtilz explored the city of Itapemirim and nearby towns, gathering various minerals and a collection of crystals, all lodged with the National Museum of

Rio de Janeiro Rio de Janeiro, or simply Rio, is the capital of the Rio de Janeiro (state), state of Rio de Janeiro. It is the List of cities in Brazil by population, second-most-populous city in Brazil (after São Paulo) and the Largest cities in the America ...

, where he took up an appointment in 1854. Descourtilz was a member of the ''Société Linnéenne de Paris'' and of the ''Société Auxiliaire de l'Industrie de Rio de Janeiro''. He died of arsenic poisoning caused by chemicals he used in the preparation of specimens.

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