The Muray (Muraena helena)

published 1754

Mark Catesby

Associated Names
Mark Catesby

Artist, English, 1679 - 1749

This is a drawing of a moray eel. The image shows a detailed and accurate representation of a moray eel, with its elongated, serpentine form curving across the canvas. The eel has dark skin with small, darker spots along its body. Its mouth is open, showing sharp teeth, and its eye is prominently depicted. The background is a plain, neutral tone.

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 36.5 cm (10 9/16 x 14 3/8 in.)
    sheet: 31.4 x 44.8 cm (12 3/8 x 17 5/8 in.)

  • Accession Number

    1991.163.73

  • Catalogue Raisonné

    Natural History, Vol. vol.2, no. 20

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 center in plate: Muroena; upper left in plate: T 20; by later hand, upper center in graphite: The Moray; by later hand, lower left in graphite: M. Catesby - London - 1754; by later hand, lower right in graphite: 15-

Watermarks

fleur-de-lis

Wikidata ID

Q74895000

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