Original Antique Botanical Print of Tropical Fruits by Bertuch, c. 1800

Original Antique Botanical Print of Tropical Fruits by Bertuch, c. 1800

Original antique hand-colored copper engraving depicting three exotic tropical fruit-bearing plants, published in Friedrich Justin Bertuch’s celebrated “Bilderbuch für Kinder” around the beginning of the 19th century.

The plate is titled “Pflanzen LXXXIX / Plantes LXXXIX” and presents three different tropical plants together with detailed studies of their fruits, flowers, leaves and seeds.

Fig. 1 depicts a guava-type fruit shown both whole and cut open to reveal its richly seeded interior. A separate botanical detail illustrates the delicate flower.

Fig. 2 shows another exotic fruit-bearing plant, accompanied by an exceptionally large green fruit with a distinctive textured skin. Additional details illustrate its flower and developing fruit.

Fig. 3 presents a tropical tree with broad evergreen leaves and a large elongated brown fruit. Separate illustrations of the seeds and internal structures provide further botanical detail.

The plate reflects the intense European interest around 1800 in tropical plants and exotic fruits arriving through expanding scientific exploration and international trade. Such plants were still unfamiliar to most European readers, making illustrated natural-history publications such as Bertuch’s an important means of introducing them to a wider audience.

The engraving is particularly decorative, with attractive original hand coloring in shades of green, yellow, red, brown and pink. The combination of foliage, whole fruits, cross-sections, flowers and seeds gives the plate both scientific interest and strong visual appeal.

Friedrich Justin Bertuch (1747–1822) was a German publisher, writer and patron of the arts. His monumental “Bilderbuch für Kinder” (Picture Book for Children) was one of the great illustrated educational encyclopedias of the late 18th and early 19th centuries. Published in Weimar from 1790 onward, it contained hundreds of finely engraved and hand-colored plates covering natural history, geography, science, technology, antiquity, costumes and numerous other subjects.

Creator:

Friedrich Justin Bertuch (1747–1822)

Source:

Bilderbuch für Kinder

Plate:

Pflanzen LXXXIX / Plantes LXXXIX

Subject:

Tropical Fruits and Plants

Place of Publication:

Weimar, Germany

Date of Manufacture:

Circa 1800

Period:

Early 19th Century

Style:

Neoclassical, In the Period of

Medium:

Original hand-colored copper engraving on paper

Condition:

Good. Wear consistent with age and use. Light age-related toning and scattered minor spotting and marks. Some marginal wear and irregularity, particularly along the right edge. Original hand coloring remains strong and attractive. Please refer to the photographs for further details of condition.

Please note:

This is an original antique print from around 1800, not a modern reproduction. The print is sold unframed. Framed images or interior views, if shown, are for presentation and inspiration only.

Other companion botanical plates from Bertuch’s “Bilderbuch für Kinder” are also available separately.

Keywords:

tropical fruit print, exotic fruits, guava print, tropical plants, fruit botanical print, antique botanical print, exotic botanical engraving, tropical fruit engraving, botanical illustration, edible plants, natural history print, Bertuch print, Friedrich Justin Bertuch, hand colored engraving, early 19th century botanical print