Original Antique Print of Elephant and Mysterious Sukotyro by Bertuch, c. 1800

Original Antique Print of Elephant and Mysterious Sukotyro by Bertuch, c. 1800

Original antique hand-colored copper engraving depicting a nursing elephant with her calf and the mysterious “Sukotyro,” published in Friedrich Justin Bertuch’s celebrated “Bilderbuch für Kinder” in Weimar around 1800.

The plate is titled “Vierf. Thiere LXVIII / Quadrupèd. LXVIII” and contains two fascinating early zoological illustrations.

Fig. 1 depicts a female elephant standing protectively over her nursing calf. Fig. 2 represents the “Sukotyro,” a mysterious animal historically reported from Java in Indonesia. Bertuch depicts the creature as a heavily built quadruped with elephant- or rhinoceros-like characteristics and prominent curved tusks. Such representations provide a fascinating insight into European attempts around 1800 to illustrate exotic animals known through travelers’ descriptions and earlier natural-history sources.

The plate bears the engraved inscription “Jacob Hauer Schmuzer” at lower right.

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

An unusual and highly decorative early natural-history print, particularly interesting for its combination of an accurately recognizable elephant with the enigmatic Sukotyro of Java.

Creator:

Friedrich Justin Bertuch (1747–1822)

Engraver:

Jacob Hauer Schmuzer

Source:

Bilderbuch für Kinder

Plate:

Vierf. Thiere LXVIII / Quadrupèd. LXVIII

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, occasional minor spotting and marginal wear. Original hand coloring remains attractive. Please refer to the photographs for further details of condition.

Please note:

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

Keywords:

antique elephant print, elephant and calf, nursing elephant, Sukotyro, Sukotyro Java, Java natural history, Indonesia print, antique animal print, Bertuch print, Friedrich Justin Bertuch, natural history print, zoological engraving, hand colored engraving, elephant engraving, early zoology, scientific illustration, circa 1800