One of a kind: this is the sheet in the photographs. Ships from Langweer, the Netherlands.
Date
1892
Sheet size
60 × 40 cm (23.6 × 15.7 in)
Condition
Good
Reference
BG-14180-10
Condition
One plate in very good condition for its age. Light, even age toning and minor surface marks consistent with atlas plates. Slight marginal wear. Colours remain well preserved. Plate mark visible. No significant tears or losses.
Description This large chromolithographic plate depicts a single named sugarcane variety cultivated in Java and was published in Berlin in 1892 as part of Friedrich Soltwedel’s botanical study Formen und Farben von Saccharum officinarum L. und verwandten Arten. Produced by W. A. Meyn, the plate demonstrates the high technical quality of late nineteenth-century agricultural illustration, combining careful observation with clear visual presentation.
The sheet illustrates Plate XVI, Teboe Djampirik. The variety is shown through several cut sections of the cane, including examples with emerging shoots, emphasizing growth habit, node structure, and surface texture. The deep, dark coloration and vertical striations of the cane are rendered with precision, reflecting the scientific purpose of the series while maintaining strong decorative appeal.
These plates were created during a period of systematic botanical research in the Dutch East Indies, when sugarcane cultivation was of major agricultural and economic importance. Soltwedel’s atlas of plates was issued separately from the accompanying text volume and is now scarce, especially in well-preserved condition.
With its tall vertical format and restrained, dark palette, this plate works well both as a collector’s item and as a statement piece for interior display, particularly in settings related to botany, agriculture, colonial history, or tropical themes. Companion plates from the same series depicting additional sugarcane varieties are also available.
Condition report One plate in very good condition for its age. Light, even age toning and minor surface marks consistent with atlas plates. Slight marginal wear. Colours remain well preserved. Plate mark visible. No significant tears or losses.
Framing suggestions Best framed vertically. A dark walnut, ebonized, or muted antique gold frame with an ivory or parchment mat creates a refined, museum-style presentation. Wide matting is recommended to emphasize scale and preserve the original margins.
Technique: Chromolithography Maker: W. A. Meyn after F. Soltwedel, Berlin, 1892
