About this sheet
This is an original antique botanical print, a lithograph printed in a single warm brown tone without added color, numbered plate II and lettered "FATSÙA ( ARALIA ) JAPONICA Den & Planch." The large drawing shows a flowering branch of the plant now known as Fatsia japonica: broad, deeply lobed palmate leaves with a fine network of veins, a cut stem at the base, and a branched head of round flower clusters standing above the leaves. A row of numbered details along the foot shows the flower, stamens, ovary and fruit at a larger scale.
The name is lettered in capitals with the authority "Den & Planch.", and the plant is also given its older genus name Aralia in parentheses. At lower left the artist's line reads "Q. M. R. Ver Huell ad. obj. del. 1856." (drawn by Q. M. R. Ver Huell from the object, 1856), and at lower right "L. Stroobant Sc. & Lith à Gand." (engraved and lithographed by L. Stroobant in Ghent). The plate number II is printed at the top right.
The plate comes from the first volume of the Annales d'horticulture et de botanique, ou Flore des jardins du royaume des Pays-Bas, published at Leiden by A. W. Sythoff in 1858 for the Société royale d'horticulture des Pays-Bas under the patronage of King William III. The title page of this volume names Ph. Fr. de Siebold and W. H. de Vriese as its editors. The work recorded cultivated and ornamental plants grown in the Netherlands and introduced from the Dutch possessions in the East Indies, from America and from Japan. Q. M. R. Ver Huell (1787 to 1860), the Dutch naval officer and artist, drew a number of the plates for the first volume. L. Stroobant was a lithographer working in Ghent (Gand in French).
Printed in a single soft tone, it suits a quiet frame with a pale mount and works well beside colored plates from the same work.
Condition: Light handling wear to the top right corner; minor nicks along the left edge. Even age toning. A few small foxing spots in the margin.
This is an original antique print, not a modern reproduction. This item is sold unframed. Any framed or interior images are shown for presentation and inspiration only, unless the listing explicitly states that the item is sold framed.
