Artwork
The Bahama Coney (Mus Monax)
The Bahama Coney (Mus Monax) is an ink print by the Romanticist artist Mark Catesby. It is held in the collection of the National Gallery of Art.
- Inscription
- Inscribed:lower right in plate: MC; lower left in plate: Cuniculus; lower right in plate: Pittonia; by later hand, lower left in graphite: M. Catesby London 1754; by later hand, lower center in graphite: Bahama Coney; upper right in plate: T.79.; by later hand, lower right in graphite: 20-
About this work
Overview
The Bahama Coney (Mus Monax) is a hand-colored print created by Mark Catesby using etching and engraving techniques on laid paper.
Subject & Meaning
The print depicts a woodchuck from the Bahama Islands, accompanied by two plants with distinctive red berries and purple flowers, showcasing the region's wildlife.
Technique & Style
Catesby combined scientific observation with artistic representation, using hand coloring to enhance the printed image, resulting in a detailed and vivid scene.
History & Provenance
The print is part of Catesby's Natural History of Carolina, Florida and the Bahama Islands, a comprehensive documentation of the New World's flora and fauna published between 1729 and 1747.
Context
Catesby, an English naturalist, traveled to the Americas to study and illustrate local species, producing one of the first thorough accounts of the region's wildlife.
Own this work as a print
Artist & collection
Artist
Mark Catesby (24 March 1683 – 23 December 1749) was an English naturalist who studied the flora and fauna of the New World.
