Watercolor of Various Insects, Page 46

DateCa. 1710-1720

Artist/Maker Mark Catesby (1683 - 1749)

MediumWatercolor on laid paper

Dimensions15" x 12 1/2"

Credit LineMuseum Purchase

Object number1990-177,46

DescriptionWatercolor of various insects from manuscript book, page 46.
Label TextThis watercolor depicts an array of different insects ranging from butterflies to dragonflies. The piece comes from a bound portfolio of fifty-seven different painted pages of illustrated insects, mostly butterflies. Within this collection of watercolors is the work of at least three artists—Eleazar Albin, Urtipre, and another unnamed artist. This piece, which appears to be apart of a collection done on dried or dead insects, is believed to be done by Mark Catesby. Catesby was an 18th-century naturalist known for his publication "The Natural History of Carolina, Florida, and the Bahama Islands," and his innovation in the illustration of animals. This piece displays similar technique with those of Catesby's within the collection of Sir Hans Sloane.