The Fishing Hawk (Falco haliaetus)

published 1754

Mark Catesby

Associated Names
Mark Catesby

Artist, English, 1679 - 1749

This is a painting of an osprey perched on a fish. The artwork features an osprey standing on top of a fish with its talons firmly gripping its prey. The osprey is depicted with realistic brown and white feathers, a sharp beak, and piercing eyes. The fish lies on a small mound, with its scales and features rendered in detail. The painting captures the interplay between predator and prey with a focus on natural history and accuracy in depicting the anatomy and textures of both the bird and the fish.

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: 26.8 x 37.3 cm (10 9/16 x 14 11/16 in.)
    sheet: 30.5 x 43.3 cm (12 x 17 1/16 in.)

  • Accession Number

    1991.163.94

  • Catalogue Raisonné

    Natural History, Vol. vol.1, no. 2

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

upper left in plate: Accipiter Piscatorius. / The fishing Hawk.; upper right in plate: T. 2.; by later hand, lower right in graphite: MARC CATESBY lONDON 1754 55-

Watermarks

fleur-de-lis in shield, surmounted by crown, with IVG below

Wikidata ID

Q74895131

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