• Title
  Insects watercolours, ca. 1790s
• Call number
  PXD 1350
  
• Level of description
  fonds
• Date
  
  ca. 1790s
• Type of material
  Graphic Materials, Drawings
• Reference code
  993151
• Issue Copy
  Digitised
• Physical Description
  7 drawings - watercolour - 43.0 x 27.5 cm or smaller
  
• Scope and Content
  The watercolours are natural history illustrations depicting studies of various insect specimens, some with views from multiple angles, and shadows.
  
  1. Stick insect [two views]
  2. Butterfly [two views]
  3. Caterpillar on a twig with leaf
  4. Green caterpillar on a twig with leaf
  5. Moths [two moths, one with two views]
  6. Butterfly [two views]
  7. Insect [two views]
• Copying Conditions
  Out of copyright: Creator died before 1955
  Please acknowledge:: Mitchell Library, State Library of New South Wales
• General note
  
  These 7 watercolours are part a collection of 17 drawings which were first offered by Christie's at their Melbourne Fine Paintings sale, 6 December 1994, Lots 62-72. At the time the Library acquired the items at PXD 680 and PXD 226, which by comparison, suggests they are by the same artist. The identity of this artist has not been established.
  Digital order no:Album ID : 1046037
• Attributions / conjectures
  
  Tim New, a former academic and entomologist at Latrobe University, attempted some identification of these species:
  
  1. Stick insect: almost certainly Podacanthus typhon, very common in eastern Australia, including Sydney region.
  2. Butterfly: Papilionidae, Atrophaneura hector (Crimson Rose). This is common throughout the Indian subcontinent and nearby areas, not Australia.
  3. Caterpillar: appears to be related to the butterfly, Crimson Rose, (above).
  4. Green caterpillar: possibly a Limacodid (slug caterpillar).
  5. Moths: Lycaenidae; Nacaduba biocellata, very common and widespread in Australia.
  6. Butterfly: most likely candidate is female of another swallowtail, Atrophaneura zaleucus, non-Australian, but reported from Burma, Thailand and nearby countries, possibly into Western China.
  7. Insect: Pompilidae, spider wasp, many look rather like these, possibly from India, no real generic characters visible other than general format of family.
• Subject
  Insects--Australia
  Insects--New South Wales--Pictorial works.
  Butterflies--Australia.
  Entomology--Australia.
  
• Topic
  butterflies
  natural history illustrations
  moths
  caterpillars
  insects
  
• Open Rosetta viewer
  IE614268

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