The Logger-head Turtle (Testudo Cavanna) (1731-1743)

Mark Catesby is the artist behind "The Logger-head Turtle (Testudo Cavanna)", dated 1731-1743. Background on Plants & Animals: Naturalists and artists often worked together, especially on voyages and in published surveys of flora and fauna. Images of plants and animals run from medieval herbals and bestiaries to the scientific illustration of the seventeenth to nineteenth centuries. Context for 1731-1743: The Enlightenment and the habit of the Grand Tour fed a wider interest in science, travel, antiquity, and natural history, and illustrators accompanied many expeditions. The eighteenth century began with the light, ornamental Rococo, especially in France, and moved towards the clarity and antique references of Neoclassicism by the end of the century. The catalogue places it in Plants & Animals. The format is landscape.

"The Logger-head Turtle (Testudo Cavanna)" is shown in the onlly.art catalogue for reference and browsing. A landscape format suits wide, low wall spaces such as the stretch above a bed, mantel, or sideboard. Flora and fauna subjects make an interior feel softer and more alive, adding a natural rhythm that works well in both traditional and contemporary spaces. Browsing works by the same artist, or from the same period, is a good way to compare styles before choosing what suits your space.

English, 1683–1749

If you like the visual language of Mark Catesby, explore more works by the same artist in our collection.