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• Auction House:
  Leski Auctions
• Sale Name:
  The Gary & Genevieve Morgan Collection | Part One
• Sale Date:
  07 Dec 2021 ~ 6.30pm (AEDT)
• Lot #:
  190
• Lot Description:
  George Baird Shaw
  (1751–1813)
  Platypus Anatinus
  watercolour on paper
  11 x 13cm
  inscribed with title and ‘The Duck-billed Platypus”
• Provenance:
  Christie’s, Works on Paper, Melbourne, 12/11/1990, Lot No. 361.
• Notes:
  Shaw provided an almost identical sketch for the title page of his “General Zoology of Systematic Natural History...Vol.1, Part 1. Mammalia” published in London in 1800. Shaw’s life as a professional naturalist coincided with the early years of the colonization of eastern Australia. The colonists were very interested in the novel fauna which they encountered, and specimens of the strange creatures were sent to Sir Joseph Banks and other savants in England. Many of the novelties came into the hands of Shaw and he published the first descriptions with scientific names of several of the common and best known Australian animals, including the platypus, echidna, wombat, budgerigar and black snake. He provided the well-known generic name (Macropus) for the common grey kangaroo. Shaw could not conceal his scepticism when describing so extraordinary a creature as the platypus, and was not entirely convinced that the specimen was not a fake. It was the only one known at the time and is still preserved in the British Museum (Natural History).
• Estimate:
  A$2,000 - 3,000
• Realised Price:
  *****
  

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• Category:
  Art

This Sale has been held and this item is no longer available. Details are provided for information purposes only.