This is a striking and wonderfully surreal looking hand-colored Shaw and Nodder copper engraving of a Mole Salamader, or Ambystoma Mexicanum, dated 1792. 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 them, and then I found this one in Vermont this week. I find the color--and the creature itself!--quite otherworldly, and perfectly spare at the same time.
The engraving comes from George Shaw's renowned The Naturalist's Miscellany, with this plate dated 1792. 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 13/16" x 5 7/16". Very good condition, clean and bright.
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