‘the cocarnutt tree is a very butifull tree, and a rare tree for shade’

Jamaica in 1687, The Taylor Manuscript ed. D. Buisseret, p192.

Engravers are not necessarily good artists, but they are good copyists and this poses the question: what did the engravers copy to produce their designs on the tortoiseshell?

The engravers would have been familiar with many of the designs popular in 17th century Europe but what about the exotic and novel indigenous trees shrubs and flowers depicted, which proved so intriguing to those at home in England?

This was the age of exploration both to the Far East and to the Americas and these intrepid explorers recorded much of what they had found on their travels. It is from their publications that we suggest inspiration was gained for at least some of the motifs on Jamaican tortoiseshell items.