Native cats of Australia, ca. 1802 [picture] /

Title devised by cataloguer based on inscriptions and acquisitions documentation, see file NLA07/2524.; Inscriptions: "Native Cats of Australia"--In medium beneath image.; Condition: Some soiling, sl. matt burn.; Also available in an electronic version via the Internet at: http://nla.gov.au/nla.pic-vn4218849; Purchased at auction, Lot 328 Lawson Menzies, 13 September, 2007.; Exhibited: "Treasures Gallery", National Library of Australia, 7 October 2011 - 15 December 2012. Native cats of Australia is attributed to Charles-Alexandre Lesueur. The artist Charles-Alexandre Lesueur and François Péron were part of the French scientific expedition commanded by Nicholas Baudin, that was in Australian waters from 1801 to 1803. In his diary, Péron records that the naturalists camped for several days at Sea Elephant Bay on King Island in Bass Strait and that during this time they collected specimens of two native cats. The cats have been identified as spotted-tailed quolls (Dasyurus maculatus). The painting depicts two quolls eating a dead seal with Australian flora in the background, including a tree with bark removed indicating Aboriginal activity