In Catesby 1754, Vol. 1 Pl. 78, The Brown Bittern, 18th-century artist Mark Catesby captures the species in his characteristically charming and rudimentary style.
Printed on creamy laid paper, this engraving features delicate linework and vivid original hand-applied color. Own a piece of early American history today with this captivating work of art!
About The Natural History of Carolina, Florida and the Bahama Islands
The Natural History of Carolina, Florida and the Bahama Islands – Catesby’s most notable folio – visually documents the flora and fauna of colonial America through hand-colored engravings. Mark Catesby, an English artist-naturalist, set out on an expedition of discovery to learn about the uncharted animalia of the Americas. As a self-taught artist, Catesby takes a unique approach to rendering the natural world. His prints are charming, possessing a medieval quality and subjective approach to understanding nature. The Natural History and Appendix (1731, 1754, and 1771 editions) contain 220 prints that substantiate the earliest illuminated folios on American birds.
About Mark Catesby
Mark Catesby was an English self-taught artist and explorer who created one of the first folios examining the flora and fauna of North America. Born in 1682, Catesby traveled to the New World on a legendary discovery expedition a century before the renowned artist-naturalist John James Audubon first published his work, The Birds of America. His exploration of the southern British colonies resulted in the publication of his illustrated folio, The Natural History of Carolina, Florida and the Bahama Islands. Catesby also contributed to the research of renowned taxonomist Carolus Linnaeus (1707—1778), who included over 70 of Catesby’s bird illustrations in his landmark work, Systema Naturae.
For more information about Catesby 1754, Vol. 1 Pl. 78, The Brown Bittern, email us at [email protected] or check out our articles Spontaneous Surrealism in Mark Catesby’s Artwork and Catesby’s Crustaceans – Natural History of Carolina, Florida and the Bahama Islands.
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