Antique Sugarcane Chromolithograph, Teboe Koening and Teboe Batoeng, Java 1892
€ 895
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-14180-3
Condition
One plate in very good condition. Light, even age toning and minor surface marks consistent with age. Slight marginal wear. Colours remain fresh and well preserved. Plate mark visible. No significant tears or losses.
About this sheet
Antique Sugarcane Chromolithograph, Teboe Koening and Teboe Batoeng, Java 1892
Description This large and visually striking chromolithographic plate illustrates two distinct Javanese sugarcane varieties 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. The plate was produced by W. A. Meyn and reflects the high standards of late nineteenth-century agricultural illustration, combining scientific accuracy with strong decorative appeal.
The sheet contains Plates III and IV, depicting Teboe Koening (modern spelling: Tebu Kuning), a yellow-toned sugarcane variety, and Teboe Batoeng, a darker and more robust cane with a heavier culm. Each variety is shown in full height against a plain background, allowing direct comparison of colour, structure, and surface texture.
These images document sugarcane varieties cultivated in Java during the Dutch colonial period, when systematic botanical research supported plantation agriculture. Soltwedel’s atlas of plates was issued separately from the accompanying text and is now scarce on the market, particularly in well-preserved condition.
With its tall vertical format and restrained palette, this plate is well suited for both collectors of botanical prints and for interior display, especially in contexts related to botany, agriculture, colonial history, or tropical-themed interiors. A companion plate from the same series depicting Plates V and VI is also available; a combined offer can be arranged.
Condition report One plate in very good condition. Light, even age toning and minor surface marks consistent with age. Slight marginal wear. Colours remain fresh and well preserved. Plate mark visible. No significant tears or losses.
Framing suggestions Best framed vertically. A black or dark walnut frame with an ivory or parchment mat creates a museum-style presentation, while a slim antique gold frame with a wide neutral mat enhances the warm and dark green tones. Generous matting is recommended to emphasize scale and preserve the margins.
Technique: Chromolithography Maker: W. A. Meyn after F. Soltwedel, Berlin, 1892
