Item PZ 40.1 Watercolour illustration - larva, pupa and adult Saunders' Case-Moth, Metura elongatus, Arthur Bartholomew, 29 Apr 1861

Summary

Watercolour illustration of the life stages of Saunders Case-moth, Metura elongatus, by Arthur Bartholomew, 29 April 1861. This work was commissioned by Frederick McCoy, the first Director of The National Museum of Victoria, for Plate 40 in The Prodromus of the Zoology of Victoria; Figures and descriptions of the living species of all classes of the Victoria indigenous animals.

Bartholomew's illustration forms part of the much larger Prodromus Collection. Many of the original illustrations and prints in the collection informed the production of The Prodromus, the first major publication of the National Museum of Victoria. Between 1878 and 1890, McCoy published his zoology 'Prodromus' as 20 parts in two volumes, with each part comprising 20 Plates. Unfortunately, almost 90 plates in the collection remain unpublished, and hundreds of illustrations were either not completed or not printed.

Description of Content

Saunders' Case-Moth, Metura elongatus by Arthur Bartholomew. Drawing, pencil, watercolour and varnish on paper, 29 April 1861, 19cm x 15cm. Drawing for Plate 40 in The Prodromus of the Zoology of Victoria by Frederick McCoy.