FREDERICK NODDER (BRITISH, FL. 1770 – C. 1800)
& RICHARD POLYDORE NODDER (BRITISH, FL. 1793–1820)

815, Voluta Junomia
Preparatory work for The Naturalist’s Miscellany
Watercolor on paper laid on gray paper
[1789-1814]
Mount size: 10 1/2 x 15 1/4 in

Richard P. Nodder (fl. 1793–1820) was a gifted painter who exhibited a number of animal subjects at the Royal Academy and won the title botanic painter to George III after the passing of his father.  Richard was the son of Frederick Nodder, illustrator of The Naturalist’s Miscellany and the Flora Rustica. It seems natural history illustration was a family business, as his wife Elizabeth and son Richard seem to have been responsible for later plates in The Naturalist’s Miscellany, attributed to “Nodder and Co.”

Frederick Nodder’s reputation was affirmed when he was named an official botanical painter to King George III. His exquisite watercolors of shells are foremost examples of his meticulously detailed and flawlessly executed work. The Nodders painted shells for the publication of the elder’s “The Naturalist’s Miscellany,” done in conjunction with the naturalist George Shaw and published from 1789 to 1814. In these watercolors, the shells are unadorned by background or setting, emphasizing the unmatched beauty of the natural forms themselves. This represents a rare opportunity to acquire museum-quality natural history watercolors by these acclaimed artists.