The Soree (Rallus Virginianus)

published 1731-1743

Mark Catesby

Associated Names
Mark Catesby

Artist, English, 1679 - 1749

This is a painting of a bird and a flowering plant. The image features a bird standing on a small piece of rocky ground with long legs and a slightly curved beak. Adjacent to the bird is a tall, slender plant with large green leaves and blue flowers. The background is a simple light color, emphasizing the natural elements in the foreground.

Media Options

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Artwork overview

  • Medium

    etching and engraving with hand coloring on laid paper

  • Credit Line

    Collection of Dr. and Mrs. George Benjamin Green

  • Dimensions

    plate: 35.2 x 26.2 cm (13 7/8 x 10 5/16 in.)
    sheet: 40.5 x 30.2 cm (15 15/16 x 11 7/8 in.)

  • Accession Number

    1991.163.23

  • Catalogue Raisonné

    Natural History, Vol. vol.1, no. 70

Artwork history & notes

Provenance

Dr. and Mrs. George Benjamin Green, Virginia; gift to NGA, 1991.

Associated Names

Bibliography

1771

  • Catesby, Mark. The Natural History of Carolina, Florida, and the Bahama Islands. London: 1771.

Inscriptions

lower left in plate: Gallinula Americana; lower center in plate: MC; lower right in plate: Gentiana &c.; lower right in plate: MC; by later hand, lower left in graphite: The Sora or Rail; by later hand, lower right in graphite: Virginie[?]

Watermarks

IHS / VILLIDARY

Wikidata ID

Q74894709

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