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-14180-20
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 the sugarcane variety known as Teboe Troeboe and was published in Berlin in 1892 as part of Friedrich Soltwedel’s important botanical study Formen und Farben von Saccharum officinarum L. und verwandten Arten. Printed by W. A. Meyn, the plate exemplifies the precision and visual clarity characteristic of late nineteenth-century agricultural illustration.
Plate XXVIII illustrates Teboe Troeboe through two cut cane sections shown at full scale. The variety is rendered in subdued green tones with subtle mottling and clearly articulated nodes, allowing close comparison of internode length and surface texture. The restrained colouring and clean background emphasize structural detail over ornament, reflecting the scientific intent of the series.
These chromolithographic plates were produced during a period when sugarcane cultivation played a central role in the agricultural economy of Java and the wider Dutch East Indies. Soltwedel’s plates were issued separately from the accompanying text volume and are now increasingly scarce, particularly in well-preserved examples.
With its tall vertical format and calm, natural palette, this plate works well both as a collector’s botanical specimen and as a decorative object, suited to interiors seeking understated botanical imagery with historical depth and scientific authenticity.
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 soft antique gold frame paired with an ivory or parchment mat provides a refined, museum-style presentation. Wide matting is recommended to preserve the original margins and emphasize the vertical proportions.
Technique: Chromolithography Maker: W. A. Meyn after F. Soltwedel, Berlin, 1892
