Sumatran Rooster - Hand Colorized Etching 1873

Sumatran Rooster

Hand Colorized Etching

Gallus Ceneus

Native of Sumatra

Rudolf Lesch Fine Arts Division
1873

Frame Measures 8” X 9 3/4”

This beautifully framed unusual hand colored etching of a Samatran Rooster is a wonderful piece of art even if you don’t know anything about chickens, roosters or any other fowl. It was published by the renowned, Rudolf Lesch Fine Arts Division, in 1873 and hand colored and framed some time after that. We bought the print over 30 years ago in an antique shop in Massachusetts.

Sumatra Rooster History
Sumatras are an exceedingly rare breed of chicken with a personality closer to that of a wild game bird than a domestic chicken: they are thought to be closely related to the jungle fowl of the Far East. They have been known variously as "Sumatran Pheasants" or "Java Pheasant Game Birds," even though they are most definitely chickens! Their unique carriage, with their sweeping tails held low, gives them the air of a pheasant or peacock, however. Sumatras make great show birds, and they're usually kept for their beauty alone. This is no surprise, because they're usually poor layers and they aren't hefty enough to be a good meat bird. You can see from the photos that their shiny, lustrous feathers are striking, but in addition they're the only breed of chicken whose roosters have multiple spurs! Like the Silkie, they also have black skin and black bones.

Ancient Cockfighting
Controversial cockfighting still exists in certain cultures and countries, despite having been outlawed here in the U.S.
In the U.S. cockfighting is illegal in all states. It is a felony in 35 states and can net you as much as a $10,000 fine and five years in jail. Yet, in many parts of the world, you’ll still see game roosters being raised openly for fighting.
However there are stories of participants involved in the sport in this country years ago using unusual conditioning methods, taking Black Sumatra’s, they claimed they could build stronger thighs on even the puniest of cocks. They swore by their Cajun secret recipe for feeding fighting roosters - plenty of garlic, shotgun powder, and onions to increase their agitation.