The Cat Fish (Silurus catus)

published 1754

Mark Catesby

Associated Names
Mark Catesby

Artist, English, 1679 - 1749

An illustration of a catfish is depicted with its elongated, rounded body and barbels extending from its face. The color palette consists of dark blues, grays, and hints of brown on the fins and barbels. The fish is positioned horizontally across the page, its head facing to the right and tail to the left, with its dorsal and ventral fins visible.

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: 25.6 x 35.4 cm (10 1/16 x 13 15/16 in.)
    sheet: 31.4 x 45.1 cm (12 3/8 x 17 3/4 in.)

  • Accession Number

    1991.163.75

  • Catalogue Raisonné

    Natural History, Vol. vol.2, no. 23

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: MC; lower center in plate: Bagre &c; upper right in plate: T23; by later hand, across bottom in graphite: M. Catesby - London - 1754 CAT-FISH 15-

Watermarks

IHS IVILLEDARY

Wikidata ID

Q74895006

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