Antique Natural HistoryOriginal plates from the naturalists' books, 1600s to 1900s
1867 Hand-Colored Lithograph of South American Butterflies and Passionflower

Close-ups

1867 Hand-Colored Lithograph of South American Butterflies and Passionflower, close-up 11867 Hand-Colored Lithograph of South American Butterflies and Passionflower, close-up 21867 Hand-Colored Lithograph of South American Butterflies and Passionflower, close-up 31867 Hand-Colored Lithograph of South American Butterflies and Passionflower, close-up 41867 Hand-Colored Lithograph of South American Butterflies and Passionflower, close-up 51867 Hand-Colored Lithograph of South American Butterflies and Passionflower, close-up 6

Framed and on the wall

1867 Hand-Colored Lithograph of South American Butterflies and Passionflower, shown framed1867 Hand-Colored Lithograph of South American Butterflies and Passionflower, shown framed on a wall1867 Hand-Colored Lithograph of South American Butterflies and Passionflower, shown framed in a room

Frame and rooms are illustrations of how the print could look; the description says what is included.

1867 Hand-Colored Lithograph of South American Butterflies and Passionflower

€130 ($145, £110, €130)

Period original, not a reproduction.

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Shipped from the Netherlands, flat, insured and tracked, worldwide. Returns accepted within 14 days.

Date
1867
Size
13.7 × 10.2 in (34.8 × 25.9 cm)
Condition
Good. 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.
Period
Late 19th century
Section
Insects and butterflies
Reference
f_42866572

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.