Plate CCCLXX by Anonymous Artist

Plate CCCLXX by Anonymous Artist

C. 1782

Hand Colored Engraving

This hand-colored copperplate engraving, plate CCCLXX, presents nine distinct moth species neatly arranged across four horizontal rows labeled A through I. The upper section features a feathered-antennaed brown moth (Fig. A) beside a leopard-spotted white moth with an orange abdomen (Fig. B), above two bright yellow species centered in the middle rows (Figs. C and D). Surrounding them are smaller patterned moths in shades of dark grey (Fig. F), reddish-brown (Fig. E), and pale cyan (Fig. G), while the bottom is grounded by two striking black moths accented with vivid crimson (Fig. H) and golden-yellow wing bands (Fig. I). Drawn and engraved by Dutch illustrator Gerrit Wartenaar Lambertz, this original print dates to 1782 and measures approximately 11 1/2 by 9 inches.

This plate comes from Pieter Cramer’s landmark entomological work, De uitlandsche kapellen (The Exotic Butterflies Occurring in the Three Parts of the World: Asia, Africa, and America), published in Amsterdam between 1775 and 1782. Cramer’s masterwork was the first entomological publication to utilize the Linnaean system for exotic butterflies and moths, establishing new scientific nomenclature while celebrating global biodiversity during the height of 18th-century exploration. Illustrated by Lambertz and finished with fine hand coloring, plates from this series remain foundational milestones in scientific illustration, prized for their artistic beauty, historical importance, and contribution to early taxonomic science.

Dimensions: H 11 ½ ” x 9” W

Condition: In excellent condition