Plate CCXCV by Anonymous Artist

Plate CCXCV by Anonymous Artist

C. 1782

Hand Colored Engraving

This hand-colored copperplate engraving, plate CCXCV, illustrates six butterfly specimens arranged in a balanced layout showing dorsal and ventral perspectives. The top section depicts two views of a striking, scalloped-wing species with rich orange, black, and intricate white-patterned margins (Figs. C and D). The center features a smaller, dark navy-blue butterfly with white wing bars (Fig. A) stacked above its detailed, highly patterned underside view (Fig. B). The composition is anchored at the bottom by two large, deep brown swallowtail-style butterflies showcasing their upper wings (Fig. E) alongside their corresponding underwings with delicate cream and orange marginal spots (Fig. F). Drawn and engraved by Dutch illustrator Gerrit Wartenaar Lambertz, this original print dates to 1780 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