Antique Natural HistoryOriginal plates from the naturalists' books, 1600s to 1900s
Bromelia Commeliniana, Flowering Bromeliad Chromolithograph, 1859
Bromelia Commeliniana, Flowering Bromeliad Chromolithograph, 1859, view 2

Close-ups

Bromelia Commeliniana, Flowering Bromeliad Chromolithograph, 1859, close-up 1Bromelia Commeliniana, Flowering Bromeliad Chromolithograph, 1859, close-up 2Bromelia Commeliniana, Flowering Bromeliad Chromolithograph, 1859, close-up 3

Framed and on the wall

Bromelia Commeliniana, Flowering Bromeliad Chromolithograph, 1859, shown framedBromelia Commeliniana, Flowering Bromeliad Chromolithograph, 1859, shown framed on a wallBromelia Commeliniana, Flowering Bromeliad Chromolithograph, 1859, shown framed in a room

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

Bromelia Commeliniana, Flowering Bromeliad Chromolithograph, 1859

£375 ($500, €445)

Period original, not a reproduction.

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

Date
1859
Technique
Chromolithograph
Coloring
Printed in color
Condition
Good. Light wear to the top right and bottom right corners. Light age toning; light handling soiling along the edges and a few small spots in the margins. A horizontal center fold, as issued. Printed image clean.
Period
Late 19th century
Section
Botanical
Reference
BG-12376-2-1
What the condition grades mean
Excellent
Bright and clean, with no faults worth mentioning.
Very good
Only light signs of age, such as faint toning.
Good
Normal signs of age for a sheet of this period: toning, some foxing, small marks or neat old repairs.
Fair
Clear faults such as staining, tears or repairs, priced to match.

Every fault we see is written in the condition note, and the whole sheet is shown uncropped in the photos.

This is an original antique botanical print, a chromolithograph printed in color, lettered "BROMELIA COMMELINIANA De Vriese". It shows a bromeliad in flower: a tall green stem rises from a rosette of long narrow leaves in green and wine red, and carries crowded spikes of violet purple tubular flowers set among green and cream bracts. A separate flowering spike stands at the left, and the letter A marks the corresponding point on the main spike.

The name is lettered in capitals with the authority "De Vriese". At lower left the artist's line reads "J. Gaÿkema, ad. viv in Hort. Lugd. Bat." (drawn by J. Gaÿkema from the living plant in the botanic garden at Leiden), and at lower right "L. Stroobant Sc. & Lith à Gand." (engraved and lithographed by L. Stroobant in Ghent). No plate number is printed on this plate.

The plate comes from the second volume of the Annales d'horticulture et de botanique, ou Flore des jardins du royaume des Pays-Bas, published at Leiden by A. W. Sythoff in 1859 for the Société royale d'horticulture des Pays-Bas under the patronage of King William III. The journal recorded cultivated and ornamental plants grown in the Netherlands and introduced from the Dutch possessions in the East Indies, from America and from Japan. Hort. Lugd. Bat. stands for Hortus Lugduno-Batavus, the botanic garden of Leiden University. L. Stroobant was a lithographer working in Ghent (Gand in French).

The strong color and clear drawing make it a good choice for a study, a garden room or a hallway, framed singly or in a group of plates from the same work.

Condition: Light wear to the top right and bottom right corners. Light age toning; light handling soiling along the edges and a few small spots in the margins. A horizontal center fold, as issued. Printed image clean.

This is an original antique print, not a modern reproduction. This item is sold unframed. Any framed or interior images are shown for presentation and inspiration only, unless the listing explicitly states that the item is sold framed.

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