Rare 1795 Shaw & Nodder Hand-Colored Hawk Moth Engraving No. 372 OLEANDER SPHINX

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Seller: questique ✉️ (3,051) 100%, Location: Great Barrington, Massachusetts, US, Ships to: WORLDWIDE & many other countries, Item: 145580626395 Rare 1795 Shaw & Nodder Hand-Colored Hawk Moth Engraving No. 372 OLEANDER SPHINX. Rare 1792 Hand-Colored Copperplate Hawk Moth Engraving from: "THE NATURALIST’S MISCELLANY: or, COLOURED FIGURES OF NATURAL OBJECTS; DRAWN AND DESCRIBED IMMEDIATELY FROM NATURE." OLEANDER SPHINX From the coveted volumes of Shaw & Nodder's Naturae Vivarii  or 'The Naturalist’s Miscellany...' comes this scarce hand-colored engraving, a gem of natural history illustration & the printmaker's art. This listing is for the one print from the above work: No. 372, the OLEANDER SPHINX or the OLEANDER HAWK-MOTH Also included are two text pages, one in Latin & one in English.

These very beautiful & charming prints seem to have become very scarce. Engravings from 'Shaw & Nodder' became sort of collector's cult classics. The hand colored plates in this work are prized by collectors for their artistic qualities and are becoming increasingly harder to find as the supply vanishes.

The publication: The Naturalist’s Miscel­lany was published in monthly installments from August 1789 through July 1813. Each installment featured three—later four—engraved and beautifully hand-tinted plates, along with descriptions in Latin and English.

Famed naturalist George Kearsley Shaw (1751-1813) collaborated with Frederick Polydore Nodder (1770-1800) who was responsible for the distinctive illustrations in the Naturalist’s Miscellany.

The epic project was dedicated to Queen  Charlotte of Mecklenburg-Strelitz (1744–1818) wife of King George III from 1761 until her death in 1818. For reference, included in the photos is a facsimile of the title-pages & dedication from a volume on the Biodiversity Heritage Library's website.

The Naturalist: George Shaw was Keeper of Natural History in the British Museum & a founding member of the Linnean Society. He produced a number of massive works on natural history and related subjects, including General Zoology in 14 volumes, the lavishly illustrated Cimelia Physica, and Museum Leverianum in two illustrated volumes.

The Artists: Frederick Polydore Nodder was responsible for the distinctive illustrations in the work. Nodder was an English flora and fauna illustrator; also an accomplished copperplate engraver. Frederick Nodder must have died in 1800 or 1801. For a short while after his death, the engraved signature showed his wife, Elizabeth’s name instead. Many were also done by Frederick's son, Richard Nodder.

The drawing & coloring in this little gem are lovely. It's a beautiful plate, full of the passion that the early natural history painters & engravers.

Every part of these prints was made by hand: Hand drawn & engraved on Copper which was hand-mined, smelted & rolled, printed onto handmade cotton rag paper, inked & colored with hand-ground pigments individually by hand, & they were usually hand sewn into handmade leather-bound books.

Condition: Appears to be in superb condition as these go, with the typical age character of an engraving over 200 years old. The hand-coloring appears to remain sharp & brilliant as the day it was painted.

These prints are very old & may have minor imperfections expected with age, such as some typical age-toning of the paper, oxidation of the old original watercolors, spots, text-offsetting, artifacts from having been bound into a book, etc. Please examine the photos & details carefully.

Text Page(s): This one comes with original text pages.

About this creature:

  • Now known as Daphnis nerii, the oleander hawk-moth or army green moth is a moth of the family Sphingidae
  • It was described by Carl Linnaeus in his 1758 10th edition of Systema Naturae
  • Daphnis nerii is a large hawk-moth found in wide areas of Africa, Asia and Hawaii. It is a migratory species, flying to parts of eastern and southern Europe during the summer, particularly Turkey, very occasionally reaching western Europe, including England and can even reach to as far north as Scotland or even Finland
  • The adults feed on nectar of a great variety of flowers. They have a preference for fragrant species like petunia, jasmine and honeysuckle. They are especially active in the twilight time, hovering over the flowers after sunset
  • The caterpillars feed mainly on oleander (Nerium oleander) leaves, a highly toxic plant, to which the caterpillars are immune

Size: 9-1/2 x 5-1/2" inches approximately.

Shipping: Multiple prints combine into one USPS Flat-Rate envelope. If you'd like to combine & need more time to choose, please send a message & we'll do our best to oblige. If you're assessed multiple shipping for one combined package, we'll endeavor to refund any overage asap.

Thanks for Visiting!

  • Artist: Richard Nodder
  • Signed By: R.N.
  • Image Orientation: Portrait
  • Size: Large
  • Signed: Yes
  • Material: Paper
  • Region of Origin: Europe
  • Original/Licensed Reprint: Original
  • Subject: Butterflies, Entomology, Natural History, Nature, Moths
  • Type: Copperplate Engraving
  • Year of Production: 1795
  • Item Height: 5-1/2 in
  • Style: Natural History
  • Theme: Animals, History, Natural History, Nature, Science & Medicine, Butterflies, Entomology
  • Features: 1st Edition
  • Production Technique: Hand-Colored Copperplate Engraving
  • Country/Region of Manufacture: United Kingdom
  • Handmade: Yes
  • Item Width: 9-1/2 in
  • Time Period Produced: 1750-1799

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