1737
ink
paper
From the collection of National Gallery of Art
The Coach-Whip Snake (Coluber flagellum) is a 1737 ink by Mark Catesby, a Baroque work, depicting Snake, held at National Gallery of Art.
This etching shows a Coach-whip Snake coiled on dry leaves, its pale belly catching the light. The artist added watercolor by hand to make the snake’s scales shimmer. That quiet touch makes this plate feel alive. Mark Catesby studied plants and animals where he lived in North America. He drew what he saw, then shipped his work to England to be printed. These pictures helped people there learn about the New World’s wildlife. Check out another Catesby, Mark engraving at the National Gallery of Art, Washington.
Mark Catesby (24 March 1683 – 23 December 1749) was an English naturalist who studied the flora and fauna of the New World.
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