1867 Hand-Colored Lithograph of South American Butterflies and Passionflower
€ 130
Original antique · The actual sheet photographed · Certificate of authenticity on request · Sold unframed · Worldwide shipping from € 15 (rates)
Date
1867
Sheet size
34.8 × 25.9 cm (13.7 × 10.2 in)
Condition
Good
Reference
BG-13836-94
What the condition grades mean
Excellent
Bright and clean, with no faults worth mentioning.
Very good
Only light signs of age, such as faint toning.
Good
Normal signs of age for a sheet of this period: toning, some foxing, small marks or neat old repairs.
Fair
Clear faults such as staining, tears or repairs, priced to match.
Every fault we see is written in the condition note, and the whole sheet is shown uncropped in the photos.
Condition
Good condition, with vivid hand-coloring and fine details well-preserved. The paper shows light age-related toning, consistent with its history, and minor foxing confined to the margins. Mounted on a cream-colored mat with yellow borders.
About this sheet
Surinamische Schmetterlinge, an original lithograph of 1867 showing the butterflies of Surinam on a passionflower, printed in color with hand coloring. The German title "Surinamische Schmetterlinge" is lettered at the foot of the image, with the date "1867" at the lower left and the plate number at the lower right.
Six butterflies are drawn on a vine of passionflower (Passiflora), whose large white flowers with a purple-banded crown, curling tendrils and lobed green leaves fill the center of the sheet. At the upper left sits a green butterfly with red markings, and at the upper right a dark one with a green, blue-banded forewing and tail-like points. A black butterfly marked with yellow and orange runs across the middle, a large black and orange one with cream bands spreads its wings at the lower left, and a mottled brown one with an orange tip sits at the lower right. The figures are numbered for the plate's key.
The passion vine and the butterflies that feed on it were a favorite subject of the German natural history books of the period, which drew on collections from the Guianas.
