Maria Sibylla Merian, “Plate XXXV: Feuille de Prunier Sauvage”, published 1730

Maria Sibylla Merian (also known as Maria Sibylla Graff) (1647–1717)

“Plate XXXII: Feuille de Prunier Sauvage” (Plate XXXV: Leaf of a Wild Plum Tree), from the original 1679–1683 plates; published 1730.

Contextual Commentary:

This is a rare and truly remarkable engraving from the early posthumous Dutch edition, hand-coloured as issued. While printed in 1730, it strikes directly from the original copperplates etched and engraved by Merian's own hand during her lifetime. Merian was a pioneering artist-naturalist whose groundbreaking empirical research proved that caterpillars were not "beasts of the devil" born spontaneously from mud, but rather a vital stage in the stunning metamorphosis of butterflies and moths.

This plate, numbered 85 (LXXXV), appears in Maria Sibylla Merian’s “De Europische Insecten” (also known as “Der Raupen wunderbare Verwandelung, und sonderbare Blumennahrung” [The Wondrous Transformation of Caterpillars and their Strange Diet of Flowers]), published in Amsterdam in 1730 by J. F. Bernard. It illustrates her meticulous rearing observations of European lepidoptera along with their associated host plants

After Merian’s death in 1717, her daughters, Johanna Helena and Dorothea Maria—accomplished artists who had worked alongside her for decades—preserved her legacy. They inherited her original copperplates and continued to oversee the printing and intricate hand-colouring of her works. Having known Merian’s original watercolour studies and scientific aims intimately, they helped ensure that early posthumous editions remained faithful to her artistic standards.

The plate depicts the spectacular development of the Black-veined White butterfly (Aporia crataegi) showing the gregarious striped larvae, its distinct girdled pupa fixed to the stem, and the translucent wings of the adult butterflies. Merian notes that these caterpillars are frequently found feeding on the leaves of wild fruit trees and thorny brakes.

Although the plate is inscribed “feuille de Prunier sauvage”—in translation: “leaf of a wild plum tree”—the exact species corresponds to the Blackthorn (Prunus spinosa). In the accompanying text description of this plant, two names are given for it in the title: “Slee-Pruim-Bladeren” (Blackthorn Leaves) and “Pruni sylvestris folia” (Leaves of the wild plum).

Regarding the edition size, Florence F. J. M. Pieters and Diny Winthagen (1999) note in their commemorative essay marking the 350th anniversary of Merian’s birth: “… her books were very rare, editions probably not exceeding 100 copies, and consequently very expensive for scientists — especially the coloured copies: the subscription prices of a coloured versus an uncoloured copy of her book on Surinam insects were 45 and 15 Dutch guilders” (p. 10). They also note that “the pay of a Dutch ocean-going sailor came to 9 guilders a month during the entire seventeenth and eighteenth centuries” (op. cit.).

Technical Details & Condition:

Engraving on buff-coloured laid paper, printed from Maria Sibylla Merian’s original copperplate and hand-coloured in the 1730 edition. The colouring is traditionally attributed to, or believed to have been closely supervised by, Merian’s daughters, and is executed with great skill in a historically faithful palette.

The impression is strong and near-flawless, with luminous, richly applied hand-colouring. Aside from age toning—mainly confined to the margins—and a dot stain above the pupa/cocoon elements depicted at lower left, the sheet is in good condition for its age with no tears, folds, or holes.

Dimensions:

• Sheet (slightly unevenly trimmed): 22 x 15.5 cm
• Platemark: 14.9 x 11.1 cm

In-Plate Lettering:

• Upper right corner “LXXXV”
• Lower right: “feuille de Prunier sauvage”

References:

• Florence F.J.M. Pieters & Diny Winthagen, “Maria Sibylla Merian, Naturalist and Artist (1647–1717): A Commemoration on the Occasion of the 350th Anniversary of her Birth”, 1999, Archives of Natural History, — Available via UvA-DARE (Digital Academic Repository): https://pure.uva.nl/ws/files/956970/80552_327018.pdf 
• Maria Sibylla Merian, “De Europischen insecten …”, 1730, Amsterdam, J.F. Bernard, facing p. 42 — Available via Archive.org: https://archive.org/details/Europischeninse00Meri/page/42/mode/2up

Price & Shipping:

AU$313 (approximately US$219.99 / €196.05 / £164.49), including worldwide express shipping. Import duties and taxes (if any) are the buyer’s responsibility.

To acquire this exceptionally rare engraving, printed from one of Merian’s original copperplates and hand-coloured as issued, please contact oz_jim@printsandprinciples.com. Secure payment is handled via PayPal invoice for a smooth, protected transaction.

Please note: To show the print's intricate details as clearly as possible, the scan contrast has been digitally enhanced. Consequently, the image tones may not be a perfectly faithful representation of the subtilties of the print.

This print has been sold

Johannes Visscher, “A Shepherdess at a Spring”, c. 1660, after Nicolaes Berchem

Johannes Visscher (also known as Jan de Visscher) (c. 1636–after 1692)

“A Shepherdess at a Spring” (also known as “Die Hirtinnen beim Brunnen” [Shepherdess at the Well]), c. 1660 (1653–1712)

Contextual Commentary:

This is the title plate to the four-part series “Pastoral Landscapes” (Hollstein 58–61). Although the partial loss of the writing edge makes the identification of the state problematic, this impression is from either the second state (of four)—with the addition of the inscription on the fountain, but before the plate was numbered in state three—or from the final state with the change of publisher from Frederick de Wit (1629/30–1706) to Justus Danckerts (1635–1701).

The composition is based on a drawing by Nicolaes Berchem (1620–1683), currently preserved in the Teylers Museum, Haarlem.

Technical Details & Condition:

Etching with engraving printed on buff-coloured laid paper, trimmed with a thread margin around the image borderline on the top and sides, with a 3 mm margin below the image. The sheet has been professionally mounted to a secondary sheet of archival-quality washi paper providing stable structural support and wide false margins for conservation presentation.

The impression is strong and clear with a greyish overall tone. Aside from a small, professionally replenished spot at upper centre, the sheet remains in very good condition with no significant staining.

Dimensions:

• Sheet: 27.3 x 20.9 cm
• Image borderline: 26.7 x 20.7 cm

In-Plate Lettering:

• On fountain stone at left: “CBerghem delin: / J. Vißcher fecit.”

References:

• Hollstein: Dutch 58.II (Christiaan Schuckman, “Dutch and Flemish Etchings, Engravings and Woodcuts ca. 1450–1700”, Vol. XLI, 1992, p. 48, cat. no. 58.II)
• Albertina Museum: Object number H/I/64/88 — https://sammlungenonline.albertina.at/objects/489185/die-hirtinnen-beim-brunnen  
• British Museum: Museum number 1870,0709.252 — https://www.britishmuseum.org/collection/object/P_1870-0709-252

Price & Shipping:

AU$267 (approx. US$187.91 / €167.71 / £140.5), including worldwide express shipping. Import duties and taxes (if applicable) are the buyer’s responsibility.

To acquire this scene of 17th-century bucolic life, please contact oz_jim@printsandprinciples.com. I am happy to provide a secure PayPal invoice for a seamless, protected transaction.

Please note: To show the print's intricate details as clearly as possible, the scan contrast has been digitally enhanced. Consequently, the image tones may not be a perfectly faithful representation of the subtilties of the print.

Gustave Greux, “Clog Makers in the Quimerc'h Woods (Finistère)”, 1877, after Camille Bernier

Gustave Greux (also known as Gustave Marie Greux) (1838–1919)

“Clog Makers in the Quimerc'h Woods (Finistère)” (“Sabotiers dans le Bois de Quimerc’h [Finistère]”), 1877

Contextual Commentary:

This original etching with drypoint by Gustave Greux is based on Camille Bernier's (1823–1902) painting exhibited at the Paris Salon of 1877. The composition depicts Breton clog makers (sabotiers) crafting traditional wooden footwear directly within the Quimerc'h forest in Finistère, Brittany. Historically, the Quimerc'h woods—located near the present-day Cranou forest on the edge of the Monts d'Arrée—sheltered entire itinerant communities of forest artisans. These specialised craftsmen lived in temporary woodland settlements, using freshly felled beech and birch wood to carve the iconic botou-coad (wooden clogs).

This fine impression was printed in Paris by the master printer François Liénard (fl. c. 1860s–1880s) and was published in 1877 as a premium insert for the prestigious art periodical L'Art (Volume IX / Tomes II of that year).

Technical Details & Condition:

Etching with drypoint on buff-coloured laid paper with full margins as issued.

The impression is richly inked, crisp, and evenly printed — almost faultless! Note that the impression retains the very fine and faint scratched historic inscription below the image at centre: “G. Greux d’apres G. Bernier.”

The sheet is in pristine condition—completely free of tears, holes, folds, abrasions, handling marks, foxing, and stains.

Dimensions:

• Sheet: 29.0 x 43 cm
• Platemark: 20.8 x 28.7 cm
• Image borderline: 17.8 x 26.6 cm

In-Plate Lettering:

• Above image: (centre) “Salon de 1877.”
• Below image: (left) “C. Bernier. pinx. / L’Art.”; (centre) “SABOTIERS DANS LE BOIS DE QUIMERC’H (Finistère)”; (right) “G. Greux. sc. / F^çois Liénard. Imp. Paris.”
• Scratched inscription below image at centre: “G. Greux d’aprés G. Bernier.”

References:

• IFF 6 (Jean Adhémar & Jacques Lethève, “Inventaire du Fonds Français après 1800: GAVARRET–GUILLARD”, vol. 9, 1955, Paris, Bibliothèque Nationale de France, Département des Estampes, p. 376, cat. no. 11) — Available via Bibliothèque Nationale de France (Gallica): https://gallica.bnf.fr/ark:/12148/bpt6k54892064/f388.item
• Pierre Sanchez & Xavier Seydoux, “Les Estampes de L’Art (1875–1907)”, 1999, Paris, L’Echelle de Jacob, p. 56
• British Museum: Museum number 1878,0511.320 — https://www.britishmuseum.org/collection/object/P_1878-0511-320

Price & Shipping:

AU$224 (approximately US$157.65 / €140.70 / £117.87), including worldwide express shipping. Import duties and taxes (if any) are the buyer’s responsibility.

To acquire this superb etching sparkling with tonal contrasts, please contact oz_jim@printsandprinciples.com. Secure payment is handled via PayPal invoice for a smooth, protected transaction.