Rose Colored Moths and Caterpillars, Albin Antique Plate 100, 1720

Rose colored moths and caterpillars on two leafy twigs, 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 Arthur Weavor of the Middle Temple Esq.r This Plate is humbly dedicated by Eleaz.r Albin".

The upper twig carries leaves divided into toothed leaflets, with a brown looper caterpillar arched over it. A moth of rose pink and olive spreads its wings at the upper left and a rose and yellow moth sits at the right, with a dark red chrysalis at the left. The lower twig carries a further banded caterpillar along its stem, with a cream and brown patterned moth at the left, a yellow moth at the lower right and a second chrysalis at the lower left.

No artist's or engraver's credit is lettered on this sheet beyond Albin's own name in the dedication. The number "100" is written by hand in ink at the top right of the sheet; no engraved plate number is visible. The insects are keyed with small engraved letters (a, b, c and so on); no species names are printed.

The sheet is plate 100 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. Scattered light foxing in 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.