The Sole (Pleuronectes lunatus) Possibly 1731 - 1743

Curator: Here we have "The Sole (Pleuronectes lunatus)," a print by Mark Catesby, dating possibly from 1731 to 1743, rendered in watercolor. Editor: The flattened body immediately catches the eye—a remarkable, almost alien form. The detail in the scales and fins speaks to careful observation. What's compelling to me is to consider what kind of labor was necessary to create this print and its original painting? Curator: I find the specific visual choices striking; note the repeating circular motifs, each holding a dark center, that dot the fish's body. These could allude to cyclical patterns within nature, of life and sustenance taken from the sea, linking us to something profoundly connected across eras. Editor: The rendering definitely suggests an ambition beyond mere documentation. It also hints at the artist's interaction with specific materials; the types of brushes employed, and where those colors came from. The mottled, grayish hue, perhaps the outcome of pigments that came from specific minerals. I wonder if that labor and access reflects on colonial infrastructures and economies? Curator: Perhaps. The 'sole' as a symbol appears in numerous narratives. From folklore to cuisine, this particular flatfish, its distinctive flattened body—could be interpreted as emblematic of adaptation and resilience. I wonder about the cultural lens through which Catesby perceived this creature. What meaning did he ascribe beyond a scientific rendering? Editor: It brings up questions of access to scientific equipment, and networks of trade for both scientific exchange and the creation of art at that moment. To procure materials and achieve such details implies privilege, impacting whose visions get amplified across history. Curator: I concur. And these complex layers enrich our interaction with "The Sole," beyond a picture to consider an embodiment of enduring mysteries reflected in symbolic and material registers. Editor: Considering its materials, labor, and the circumstances of its production expands our connection to not just nature, but also colonial histories enmeshed within even what seems like simple, pretty picture of a sole.