Curated Highlights from the Collection
Selected original hand-coloured engravings from Lucas’ celebrated Exotic Butterflies.
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Lucas – Exotic Butterflies: Antique Hand-Colored Engravings of Tropical Lepidoptera
Discover a curated selection of original 19th-century hand-coloured engravings of exotic butterflies, produced under the scientific direction of the French entomologist Hippolyte Lucas. Created during a golden age of natural history publishing, these remarkable plates combine taxonomic precision with the refined aesthetics of classical engraving.
Lucas’ celebrated work Exotic Butterflies illustrates some of the most spectacular tropical Lepidoptera ever documented in nineteenth-century science. Species such as Morpho, Prepona, Hypolimnas, Papilio, and Ornithoptera appear with exceptional clarity, revealing the extraordinary diversity of butterflies from Asia, Africa, and the Americas.
Each engraving presents the butterfly with museum-like precision: the symmetry of the wings, luminous colour contrasts, and delicate scale structures are carefully rendered by master engravers such as Pauquet. The result is a body of work that functions simultaneously as scientific documentation and as refined decorative art.
Today these plates are admired not only by collectors of natural history prints, but also by interior designers and art lovers seeking elegant antique butterfly wall art. Their luminous hand-colouring, balanced compositions, and historical authenticity give them a timeless decorative presence rarely matched by modern reproductions.
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Heritage Stories – Lucas, Pauquet, and the Art of Entomology
These engravings belong to a remarkable moment in the history of science, when the beauty of tropical butterflies was revealed through the precision of engraving and the patience of hand-colouring. Under the scientific direction of Hippolyte Lucas, artists such as Pauquet transformed delicate specimens into enduring images of extraordinary clarity and elegance.
| Hippolyte Lucas — Scientific Vision and the Golden Age of Exotic Butterflies | Pauquet — The Engraver Behind the Exotic Butterflies |
Looking for original antique butterfly prints from the 19th century? Explore Lucas’ Exotic Butterflies — hand-coloured entomology engravings featuring rare tropical species admired today both as scientific documents and refined antique butterfly wall art.
Blue Morpho (Morpho...
An original 19th-century hand-colored engraving of Morpho leonte, the striking Blue Morpho butterfly, drawn and engraved by Pauquet under the scientific direction of Hippolyte Lucas.
Common Green Birdwing...
Original 1835 hand-colored engraving of Ornithoptera priamus (Common Green Birdwing), drawn and engraved by Pauquet under the scientific direction of Hippolyte Lucas.
Orion Butterfly...
Original 1835 hand-colored engraving of Nymphalis orion, drawn and engraved by Pauquet under the scientific direction of Hippolyte Lucas for Exotic Butterflies.
Pollux & Eurilochus...
Original 1835 hand-colored copper engraving depicting the butterflies Pollux and Eurilochus. A visually striking double-specimen plate from Hippolyte Lucas’ celebrated Exotic Butterflies, engraved by Pauquet, with strong appeal as natural history art and antique butterfly wall art.
Demophon & Demodice...
Demophon & Demodice Butterflies (Archaeoprepona demophon, Prepona laertes demodice) – Antique Hand-Colored Engraving, Exotic Butterflies (1835).
La Réunion Swallowtail...
A refined 19th-century hand-colored engraving depicting two forms of the La Réunion Swallowtail (Papilio phorbanta). Published in Hippolyte Lucas’s Exotic Butterflies (1835), the plate captures the striking contrast between deep velvety wings and luminous pale blue markings characteristic of this Indian Ocean species.
Blue-banded Eggfly &...
A vivid 19th-century hand-colored engraving depicting two striking tropical butterflies: the Blue-banded Eggfly (Hypolimnas alimena) and the Blue Diadem (Hypolimnas salmacis). Published in Hippolyte Lucas’s Exotic Butterflies (1835), the plate highlights their dramatic contrast of velvety black wings with electric blue bands and delicate white markings.
Clipper Butterflies...
A finely detailed 19th-century hand-colored engraving depicting two forms of the Clipper Butterfly (Parthenos sylvia). Published in Hippolyte Lucas’s Exotic Butterflies (1835), the plate highlights the species’ elegant network of white markings across dark wings, creating a striking geometric pattern characteristic of tropical Asian butterflies.
Bluebottle Swallowtail...
A vivid 19th-century hand-colored engraving depicting two striking Asian swallowtail butterflies: the Common Bluebottle (Papilio sarpedon) and the Spotted Bluebottle (Papilio bathycles). Published in Hippolyte Lucas’s Exotic Butterflies (1835), the plate highlights their elegant turquoise wing bands set against deep black wings.
Golden & Purple Pansy...
A striking 19th-century hand-colored engraving depicting two tropical pansy butterflies: the Golden Pansy (Junonia callista) and the Purple Pansy (Junonia laomedia). Published in Hippolyte Lucas’s Exotic Butterflies (1835), the plate highlights their dramatic wing contrasts and luminous violet eye-spots.
Kite Swallowtail...
A refined 19th-century hand-colored engraving depicting two elegant kite swallowtails: Eurytides protesilaus and Eurytides agapenor. Published in Hippolyte Lucas’s Exotic Butterflies (1835), the plate highlights their distinctive elongated tails and delicate translucent wings.