This is a striking hand-colored Shaw and Nodder copper engraving of a Autumnal Acarus or Harvest bug, also known as a Scarlet mite, the larval stage of the Trombicula species of mites. Recently, I found a couple of Shaw and Nodder engravings that had been enhanced with additional watercoloring and annotation by a holder of them in the first half of the 19th century; that is not the case here, but those heightened my awareness of Shaw and Nodder engravings, and there is a dealer in Vermont with a stash I keep mining. The color here is just out of this world, and this mite feels like the embodiment of all our fears, while also quite beautiful.
The engraving comes from George Shaw's renowned The Naturalist's Miscellany, with this plate dated 1790. The Naturalist's Miscellany was a monumental 24-volume work, known for its wide range of birds, reptiles, insects, quadrupeds, sea life, and botanicals. Fredrick Nodder was the engraver for most of the work. George Shaw was a doctor, Fellow of the Royal Society, co-founder of the Linnean Society, and a zoologist of the British Museum.
8 7/8" x 5 3/8", excellent condition.
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