Artwork
The Red Winged Starling (Oriolus phoeniceus)
The Red Winged Starling (Oriolus phoeniceus) is an ink print by the Romanticist artist Mark Catesby. It is held in the collection of the National Gallery of Art.
About this work
Overview
The Red Winged Starling is a print created by Mark Catesby, an English naturalist, as part of his documentation of North American wildlife.
Subject & Meaning
The print depicts a bird with distinctive red and yellow wing markings perched on a branch with green leaves and dark berries, showcasing Catesby's detailed observation of the species.
Technique & Style
Executed in etching and engraving with hand coloring on laid paper, the print demonstrates a high level of skill and attention to detail, with a realistic representation of the bird and its surroundings.
History & Provenance
The print was published as part of Catesby's Natural History of Carolina, Florida and the Bahama Islands between 1729 and 1747, a pioneering work featuring 220 plates of the region's flora and fauna.
Artist & collection
Artist
Mark Catesby (24 March 1683 – 23 December 1749) was an English naturalist who studied the flora and fauna of the New World.
Prairie Starling
Red-winged Starling
Red-winged Starling, Female Red-winged Starling, Black-poll Warbler, and Lesser Red-poll
The Towhe Bird (Fringilla erythrophthalma)
Nuttall's Starling, Yellow-headed Troopial and Bullock's Oriole
The Yellow and Black Pye (Oriolus Icterus)
The Red Bellied Woodpecker (Picus Carolinus)