The Hog-nose Snake (Boa contortrix)

published 1731-1743

Mark Catesby

Associated Names
Mark Catesby

Artist, English, 1679 - 1749

The image shows a snake wrapped around the stem of a plant with blooming lilies. The snake has brown spots on a tan background, and the lilies have orange and yellow hues with speckled patterns. The flowers have curled back petals, and the plant's leaves are green. The snake winds through the upper part of the image, with lilies at the bottom left and bottom right. The color palette includes browns, greens, yellows, and oranges on a muted background.

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 25.4 cm (13 7/8 x 10 in.)
    sheet: 53.8 x 36.7 cm (21 3/16 x 14 7/16 in.)

  • Accession Number

    1991.163.65

  • Catalogue Raisonné

    Natural History, Vol. vol.2, no. 56

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: Anguis &c.; lower right in plate: Lilium &c.; upper right in plate: 56

Watermarks

GR with shield

Wikidata ID

Q74894952

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