Jaguar

John James Audubon
Plate CI - Jaguar
From: Viviparous Quadrupeds of North America
New York: 1845-1848
Hand colored lithograph
Sheet size: 21” x 26 ¾”, Framed size: 36” x 30”
$28,000.00

While the Jaguar was once indigenous to North America, the last one spotted was in Arizona in 2012. In the early 20th century, the jaguar's range extended as far north as the Grand Canyon, and as far west as Southern California. The text which accompanies this beautiful and ferocious portrayal alludes to why this animal is no longer found in the states: "The Jaguar is of all American animals unquestionably the most to be dreaded, on account of its combined strength, activity, and courage, which not only give it a vast physical power over other wild creatures, but enable it frequently to destroy man."