Panteek is thrilled to offer these exquisite antique butterfly prints published by Pieter Cramer from 1775-1791. Papillons Exotiques des Trois parties du Monde: l'Asie, l'Afrique et l'Amerique features the copper plate engravings of Gerrit Wartenaar Lambertz and is now an exceedingly rare work.
Pieter Cramer (1721-1776) was a Dutch merchant and
entomologist who made his fortune in Spanish wool and linen,
and indulged in his passion for collecting natural history
specimens. Cramer commissioned the Dutch artist Wartenaar Lambertz to immortalize his entomology collection
in these superb butterfly prints, showing in many cases both the upper and lower views of each butterfly at life size. The project expanded to include other collections in the Netherlands, including those of Prince William V of Orange, Willem Baron Rengers and Joan Raye, the son of the former governor in Surinam. Finally, Lambertz had depicted more than 1,650 species of butterfly.
The work was the first color book arranging exotic butterflies in accordance with the Linnean system of classification. Many of the species were named and displayed in print for the first time, and several species have been lost to time.
The original hand-coloring is still rich and vibrant, sometimes with genuine silver. Each
antique butterfly print measures approximately 9 inches wide by 11 inches tall on strong chain linked with very little foxing. Antique butterfly copper plate engravings have become exceedingly rare on the market and the superb artistry and beautiful original hand
coloring makes these prints a wonderful addition to any collection.
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