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-14180-11
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 reflects the high standard of late nineteenth-century agricultural illustration, combining scientific clarity with strong visual appeal.
The sheet illustrates Plate XVII, Teboe Soerat Banteng. The cane is shown in full height with clearly defined nodes and segmented structure, rendered in warm brown and reddish tones with subtle surface patterning. The careful depiction emphasizes varietal characteristics important for botanical classification and agricultural study, while the simplified background gives the image a striking graphic presence.
These plates were created during a period of systematic botanical research in the Dutch East Indies, when sugarcane cultivation was central to plantation agriculture and colonial economic policy. Soltwedel’s atlas of plates was issued separately from the accompanying text volume and is now scarce, particularly in well-preserved condition.
With its tall vertical format and rich, earthy palette, this plate functions equally well as a collector’s piece and as a decorative work for interior display, especially 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
