Swallowtail butterfly perched on a flower

A swallowtail butterfly (Papilio Panthous) from a page in Edward Donovan's 'An epitome of the natural history of the insects of India, and the islands in the Indian Seas'.

Edward Donovan (1768-1837) was a natural history illustrator, amateur zoologist and writer. The engravings in these books were hand coloured by Donovan and a team of employees, using thick paints, burnished highlights, albumen overglazes and metallic paints.

'Insects of India' was the first European entomology publication for India.