The Crested Flycatcher (Muscicapa cristata)

published 1754

Mark Catesby

Associated Names
Mark Catesby

Artist, English, 1679 - 1749

A bird with brown feathers and a yellow underbelly is perched on a green vine with clusters of small black berries and heart-shaped leaves. The color palette consists of earthy tones, including shades of green, brown, and a touch of yellow. The bird is situated in the center of the image, facing right, as it rests on a vine that runs diagonally across the frame. Surrounding the bird, the vine's leaves fan out, with one cluster of berries hanging near the bird's tail and another cluster above its back.

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: 41.3 x 29.7 cm (16 1/4 x 11 11/16 in.)

  • Accession Number

    1991.163.61

  • Catalogue Raisonné

    Natural History, Vol. vol.1, no. 52

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 right in plate: MC; lower right in plate: Muscicapa cristata. / The crefted Flycatcher; lower left in plate: Smilax &c.; upper right in plate: T. 52; by later hand, lower right in graphite: Marc Catesby - London. 1754 60-

Watermarks

IHS IVILLEDARY

Wikidata ID

Q74894932

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