The Purple Jack Daw (Gracula Quiscula)

published 1731-1743

Mark Catesby

Associated Names
Mark Catesby

Artist, English, 1679 - 1749

This is a painting of a purple bird perched on a rock. The image depicts a bird with dark plumage standing on a small, rocky mound scattered with patches of greenery. The bird's beak is open, and its eye is highlighted. The brushstrokes illustrate the texture of its feathers, while the rock beneath is shaded in warm earth tones, accentuated by small areas of plant life sprouting around it. The background is a plain, light color, allowing focus on the detailed rendering of the bird itself.

Media Options

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Artwork overview

  • Medium

    etching and engraving with hand coloring on laid paper

  • Credit Line

    Gift of Dr. and Mrs. George Benjamin Green

  • Dimensions

    plate: 26 × 34.8 cm (10 1/4 × 13 11/16 in.)
    sheet: 36.5 × 51.5 cm (14 3/8 × 20 1/4 in.)

  • Accession Number

    1967.10.1

  • Catalogue Raisonné

    Natural History, Vol. vol.1, no. 12

Artwork history & notes

Bibliography

1771

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

Watermarks

fleur-de-lis in shield

Wikidata ID

Q65511184

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