Anton Goering (1843–1923), Germany
A Guácharo Cave, Southeast of Caripe (Clara Cave), 1867
Watercolor on paper
Colección Patricia Phelps de Cisneros
The artist and naturalist Anton Goering was commissioned by the Zoological Society of London to paint and draw Venezuela’s landscape and to identify and collect specimens of flora and fauna. He arrived in Venezuela in September 1866 and stayed through 1874, passing through nearly all of its territories. The Caripe region is well known for its many caves, named after the oilbirds—or guácharos—which inhabit them. In this view of Clara Cave, Goering uses the cave’s mouth to frame the exquisite vegetation that captivated his scientific eye.