The birds have come home to roost.
Come Wednesday, two distinctly Maryland birds - the Baltimore oriole and the raven - will await admirers from their unusual perch in the Maryland State Law Library in Annapolis. The ruby-throated hummingbird and the summer red bird sit there now.
They are part of the library's rare collection of John James Audubon's 19th-century Birds of America prints, newly returned from desperately needed art conservation.
The $300,000 restoration was part of an $854,000 project to tend to preservation of the library's rare collections. It featured an overhaul of the rare book room and the addition of a new display case, which are to be unveiled midweek.
But Audubon's original bird prints, with their vibrant colors, detailed lines and historical value, are the treasured centerpiece. They are known as double-elephant folios, because the sheets are nearly 40 inches wide, and were considered an incredible accomplishment in the illustration of birds when made.
Nearly all have been cleaned and restored to some degree, with the last batch due to leave the Conservation Center for Art and Historic Artifacts in Philadelphia by the end of the year.
"What's so amazing is that the detail has been restored. If you look closely, you can see the feather markings," library director Steven Anderson said, pointing to the wings on the red bird print.
"These were important to conserve because they are so valuable," he added.
Anderson will find out how valuable when he has the 430 prints appraised next year. A complete set in perfect condition - the state's is neither complete nor pristine - fetched $8.8 million at auction in 2000. That led then-law library director Mike Miller to gasp and have his blemished set's condition evaluated in 2001.
The Haitian-born Audubon became famous for his detailed and dramatic illustrations of birds that placed them in their natural habitat. He spent much of his life traveling in North America, observing and drawing wildlife. The National Audubon Society, a conservation group, bears his name.
Of 200 subscription sets he created from 1827 to 1838, 112 intact sets survive, said Joel Oppenheimer, a Chicago art dealer and expert in Audubon art. Most can be found in museums and at universities. The value of the prints is greatly determined by condition. Prints such as Maryland's, with their damage, would be worth much less than a set in its original binding, which would be valued at between $10 million and $15 million, he said.
