Paris, Arthus Bertrand, 1843. Folio (43.7 x 31.2 cm). One finely engraved and originally hand-coloured plate of the lizard, Anolis lucius.

A fine plate by the great French natural history artist Jean Gabriel Prêtre (1768-1849), depicting the endemic Cuban lizard Anolis lucius. This being the original illustration of this enigmatic species, described by the French herpetologists Jean-Théodore Cocteau (1798-1838), who died before publication, and Gabriel Bibron (1805-1848). Published in Ramon de la Sagra's rare and famous Histoire Physique, Politique et Naturelle de l'Ile de Cuba. "The folio atlas of 31 plates contains some of the most lifelike, handcolored images of reptiles and amphibians ever produced" (Adler). Uncut. Edges, therefore, a bit soiled, creased, and chipped; otherwise very good, spotless. Adler II, pp. 62-63 (Cocteau); Nissen ZBI, 3548.