Axial Commons Image Treasury
Hand-colored engraving of a dark coiled snake among feathery green branches, yellow round blossoms, and brown seed pods on a cream background.

Black Viper Coiled Among Mimosa Branches, Catesby Plate

A dark, scaly snake coils in loose S-curves across a branching plant with feathery grey-green leaves, yellow globe-shaped blossoms, and long brown seed pods. This hand-colored engraving, a plate from a natural history book, shows the serpent's head at lower right and spiny twigs woven through the composition.

Artist
Mark Catesby
Date
1731-1743
Medium
Illustrated works
Source
Wellcome Collection
Size
4000 × 2999 px
Download full size
Public domain · Wellcome Collection marks it Public Domain Mark; made by 1743.
Rights checked 2026-11-05 · tier A · as stated by the source: Public Domain Mark (Wellcome Collection)

Credit (appreciated, not required for public-domain works): Wellcome Collection

Maps and Cosmos18th century1700sengravingbotanical illustrationhand-colored printnatural historyserpentsnakemark catesbycolonial americareptile

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