Artwork
The Finch Creeper (Parus americanus)
The Finch Creeper (Parus americanus) is an ink print by the Baroque artist Mark Catesby. It dates from 1737 and is held in the collection of the National Gallery of Art.
- Inscription
- Inscribed:lower center in plate: MC; lower left in plate: Frutex &c.; lower right in plate: Parus ffringillaris; upper right in plate: T.64; by later hand, across bottom in graphite: viii/SV Catesby 1743 25.-
About this work
Overview
The Finch Creeper is a print created by Mark Catesby in 1737, featuring a detailed depiction of a bird and its natural surroundings.
Subject & Meaning
The image shows a small bird with a yellow chest, blue head, and long tail perched on a branch with white flowers and green leaves, illustrating the natural history of North American species.
Technique & Style
The print is an etching and engraving with hand coloring on laid paper, characterized by careful lines that detail the bird and plant.
Context
The Finch Creeper is part of Catesby's Natural History of Carolina, Florida and the Bahama Islands, a comprehensive account of North American flora and fauna published between 1729 and 1747.
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.
