Aert Schouman (Dordrecht 1710-1792 The Hague)

According to Schouman's inscription on the verso he saw this oncilla, which was the same size as a domestic cat ('levens groot als een groote huys kat'), in the cabinet of 'Z.H.', which refers to 'Zijne Hoogheid' Stadtholder Willem V, the owner of the Royal Natural History and Art Cabinets and Zoological Collections (see lot 15 for another drawing that was made after a specimen from the Royal Collection). The second inscription suggests that the oncilla was brought to Holland from Surinam, which was a Dutch colony at the time. The wild cat can still be found in Surinam and in other countries in Central and South America.