1737
ink
paper
From the collection of National Gallery of Art
The Glass Snake (Anguis ventralis) is a 1737 ink by Mark Catesby, a Baroque work, depicting Snake, held at National Gallery of Art.
This etching shows a pale snake coiled on a rocky ledge with glassy transparency. Its body looks like a hollow tube filled with light, not scales. The artist colored it by hand, so each print is unique. No one knows why Catesby chose this odd creature from the Carolinas. Maybe he wanted to surprise viewers who expected sturdy snakes. The paper is old and slightly yellowed, but the snake still glows. Look up Catesby, Mark next to see more of his curious natural studies.
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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