About this sheet
China Figures, Fauna and Flora – Hand-Colored Antique Print, Ferrario, Italy
This finely executed hand-colored copperplate engraving presents a composite depiction of Chinese people, fauna, and flora, combining portraiture, natural history, and ethnographic observation within a single plate. The composition reflects the encyclopedic ambition of Giulio Ferrario’s monumental work Ancient and Modern Costumes of all the Peoples of the World, which sought to document global cultures through dress, customs, and associated natural environments.
At the top of the image are three portraits of Chinese individuals shown in traditional attire, each rendered with careful attention to facial features, hairstyles, and costume details. These portraits were intended to convey distinctions of gender, status, and regional appearance as understood by European scholars in the early nineteenth century.
The central and lower sections of the plate depict animals and plants associated with China. Fauna includes a musk deer, a duck, and a golden pheasant, all species that held symbolic or economic significance and were widely discussed in European natural history literature. The flora shown includes tea and camphor plants, both essential to global trade and emblematic of China’s role in international commerce and material culture.
The print was produced as a hand-colored copperplate engraving and published in Italy as part of Ferrario’s series, issued from Florence in the first half of the nineteenth century. The work reflects the period’s blend of scientific curiosity and visual refinement, combining ethnography, botany, and zoology into a single didactic image.
As with other plates from Ancient and Modern Costumes of all the Peoples of the World, this sheet bears the original embossed blind stamp applied at the time of publication. This dry stamp serves as an important indicator of authenticity and may, as issued, lightly overlap the image area.
Offered unframed, this plate is well suited to collectors of Asian-related material, ethnographic prints, and early nineteenth-century European illustrated works, as well as interior designers seeking a visually rich yet scholarly decorative piece.
Condition Report:
Good antique condition. Light age-related toning and scattered spotting consistent with early 19th-century paper. Original hand coloring remains fresh and well balanced. Original embossed blind stamp visible, as issued, possibly overlapping the image area. No major tears, losses, or restorations observed.
Framing Tips:
This multifaceted composition benefits from a generous mat to visually organize the diverse elements. An ivory or warm cream mat works well with the paper tone, paired with a light walnut, natural wood, or understated gilt frame. A wider mat margin allows the blind stamp to remain visible and enhances a museum-style presentation.
Technique:
Hand-colored copperplate engraving
Maker:
Giulio Ferrario, published in Florence, Italy, circa 1840s
