Credit: © The Royal Society
    Image number: RS.8452
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    MacClelland's coral snake

    Date
    1872
    Creator
    Hurrish Chunder Khan (Indian) , Artist
    Object type
    Archive reference number
    Material
    Dimensions
    height (painting): 255mm
    width (painting): 387mm
    Subject
    Biology
       > Natural history
    Biology
       > Zoology
          > Herpetology
    Content object
    nature
       > animal
          > snake
    Description
    Herpetological study of a MacClelland’s coral snake, Sinomicrurus macclellandi, here referred to as Callophis maclellandi. Viewed from above, full body depicted with two sketched details showing scalation on the head and body. Details of the specimen size provided.

    Inscribed in ink: ‘FROM NATURE/ CALLOPHIS MACLELLANDII/ IND. MUS./ Length 1’.2 ½”/ Circum 5/8”/ Drawn by Hurrish Chunder Khan Student. Govt. Sch: of Art Calcutta’ with further pencil annotation ‘Plate 14’. Pencil annotations believed to be in Joseph Fayrer’s hand.

    From MS/628, a set of paintings and drawings executed by students of the Government School of Art, Kolkata, for Joseph Fayrer’s The Thanatophidia of India. Later published as the upper specimen on plate 10 of this text.

    Hurrish Chunder Khan, student at the Government School of Art, Kolkata.

    Sir Joseph Fayrer, first baronet, (1824-1907), surgeon and author, was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society in 1877. Fayrer worked in India between 1850 and 1872 and is best known for The Thanatophidia of India, a study of venomous snakes, illustrated by members of the Kolkata School of Art and published by the colonial government.
    Transcription

    Object history
    These artworks were presented to the Royal Society on 8 January 1874 by Joseph Fayrer and acknowledged shortly after at a meeting of Council: ‘Read a letter from Dr. Fayrer, offering his collection of original drawings of the Poisonous Snakes of India to the Royal Society. Resolved - That Dr. Fayrer’s offer be accepted, and that the best thanks of the President and Council be returned to him for his gift.’ [Royal Society Minutes of Council, Printed, vol. 4, 1870-1877, p.204, 15 January 1874.]
    Related fellows
    Joseph Fayrer (1824 - 1907, British) , Surgeon
    Associated place
    <The World>
       > Asia
          > India
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