Archibald Thorburn (British, 1860-1935)


Ptarmigan seeking shelter signed and dated 'A. Thorburn/1927.' (lower right)watercolour and gouache37 x 56cm (14 9/16 x 22 1/16in).
|ProvenanceRichard Haworth, Blackburn. Anon. sale, Bonhams, London, 22 April 2010, lot 165.Private collection, UK (acquired from the above sale).Archibald Thorburn regularly visited Scotland to sketch in the wild inaccessible hills and it was during his trip in 1883 that he saw his first Ptarmigan. They inhabit the higher mountaintops of the Scottish Highlands at an altitude above two thousand feet, ranging as far south as Ben Lomond. They can be difficult to spot, as they have thick snow white plumage in the winter, which sheds in the summer to better camouflage with the highland rocks.