[Virtuoso and a fly.], Isaac Cruikshank, 1796

Plate 41 to 'eccentric excursions, or. Literary & pictorial sketches of countenance, character and country, in. . England & south wales'. A lean and ugly old man sits in profile to the right, bending forward towards an immense volume which lies open on a table in front of an open sash-window (right). On the page is a fly at which he gesticulates. He wears a night-cap and a loose robe over an old-fashioned laced waistcoat, short breeches, and high-quartered shoes. Above his head hangs a large stuffed crocodile, and in a frame on the wall are butterflies and insects. The 'virtuoso' (? naturalist) is examining the works of linnaeus 'for a description of an uncommon species of insect'. 3 december 1796 hand-coloured etching. Date: 1796. Dimensions: Height: 239 mm; Width: 181 mm. Medium: paper. Collection: British Museum. (Virtuoso and a fly.) (BM 1927,0308.121)