Red Spotted Moths and Oak Caterpillar, Albin Hand-Colored Insect Plate 82, 1720

Two red spotted moths with their caterpillars on a finely divided sprig and an oak twig, an original hand colored copper engraving of 1720 from Eleazar Albin's A Natural History of English Insects. The plate has no title caption; the lettering engraved below the image is a dedication in script: "To William Cholwich of the Middle Temple Esq.r This Plate is humbly dedicated by Eleaz.r Albin."

Above, a sprig with many small yellow green leaflets rises over a long grass-like blade that twists below it. A pale yellow caterpillar with black spots and fine bristles rests on the blade. Two moths with dark green forewings spotted in red and red hindwings are set at the upper right and at the left, and a dark red chrysalis lies at the left. The lower half gives an oak twig with two lobed leaves and a dark bristly caterpillar with red tufts crawling along it.

No artist's or engraver's credit is lettered on this sheet beyond Albin's own name in the dedication. The plate number "LXXXII" is engraved in roman numerals at the top right. The insects are keyed with small engraved letters (a, b, c and so on); no species names are printed.

The sheet is plate 82 of Eleazar Albin's A Natural History of English Insects, published in London in 1720. The title page of the book reads "A NATURAL HISTORY OF ENGLISH INSECTS, Illustrated with a Hundred Copper Plates, Curiously Engraven from the Life: And (for those who desire it) Exactly Colored by the Author ELEAZAR ALBIN, Painter", with the imprint "LONDON: Printed for the Author, and sold by William and John Innys at the West End of St Paul's. MDCCXX." The book thus offered its plates colored by the author for those who desired it. Albin was a painter and naturalist working in London.

Light uneven toning, browner towards the edges. Marked handling soiling along the bottom, left and top edges. Foxing over much of the margin. Slight wear at the top left corner. Several larger brown marks.

This is an original antique print, not a modern reproduction. This item is sold unframed.