Plate CCCLXX by Anonymous Artist

Plate CCCLXX by Anonymous Artist

C. 1782

Hand Colored Engraving

Twelve distinct butterfly species labeled A through M are meticulously arrayed across the composition of this hand-colored copperplate engraving (plate CCCLXX). The layout is anchored at the top by a crimson-patterned riodinid butterfly (Fig. B) alongside its mottled brown-and-orange underside (Fig. C), flanked by tailed species including a dark butterfly with vibrant blue metallic accents (Fig. D) and a warm yellow specimen (Fig. E). The central axis features a delicate, translucent white butterfly (Fig. A) flanked by a solid black species (Fig. L) and an olive butterfly with crimson wing borders (Fig. M), positioned between two brown species showing dorsal (Fig. K, top) and intricate ventral eyespot patterns (Fig. K, bottom). Completing the lower section are several smaller species displaying varied blue, brown, black-and-white, and banded wing patterns (Figs. F, G, H, and 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