Plate marks are subtle physical traces left by the printing process itself. This article explores how plate impressions form, what they reveal about traditional intaglio printing, and how collectors can read them as material evidence of authenticity in antique prints.
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Plate Marks in Antique Prints: Reading the Printed ImpressionRead more -
Paper in Antique Prints: Laid, Wove & WatermarksRead moreAn overview of laid and wove paper in antique prints, with a focus on watermarks as material evidence for dating, authenticity, and historical context.
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Vietz: Icones PlantarumRead moreElegant 19th-century botanical engravings from Vietz’s Icones Plantarum, celebrated for their luminous colouring and crisp structural detail. Each plate captures the natural geometry of leaves and stems with refined Viennese precision — a perfect blend of science, beauty and decorative harmony.
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Elisabeth Blackwell: A Curious Herbal & the Birth of Botanical ArtRead moreElisabeth Blackwell (1707–1758) created the groundbreaking A Curious Herbal, an iconic 18th-century botanical atlas of medicinal plants. Her elegant hand-colored engravings remain among the most celebrated works in natural history art.
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The Hidden Nobility of Natural History Prints: From the Sacchetti CollectionRead moreThe Hidden Nobility of Nature Prints In the vast and fascinating world of antique natural history prints, there are works that shine not only for their beauty, but for their origin, craftsmanship, and the historical legacy they carry
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Jean Gabriel Prêtre: Portraitist of the Animal KingdomRead moreJean Gabriel Prêtre (1768–1849) A leading 19th-century zoological illustrator, Jean Gabriel Prêtre captured the grace and precision of the animal world through hand-colored engravings. His works for Cuvier and the Dizionario di Scienze Naturali unite scientific accuracy with timeless artistry — a legacy that still inspires collectors and natural history enthusiasts today.
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Pierre Jean François Turpin: The Botanical Illustrator of Natural HarmonyRead morePierre Jean François Turpin (1775–1840) was a French botanical illustrator known for the clarity, accuracy, and delicate beauty of his work. Recognized as one of the finest natural history artists of the early 19th century, Turpin combined scientific precision with refined artistic sensitivity, contributing significantly to the visual language of botanical science.
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Pancrace Bessa: the Naturalist Painter of Botanical GraceRead moreIn the pantheon of botanical illustration, Pancrace Bessa (1772–1846) occupies a graceful, luminous place. A student of both Gérard van Spaendonck and a close collaborator of Pierre-Joseph Redouté, Bessa developed a style that blended scientific precision with exquisite pictorial sensitivity.
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Pierre-Joseph Redouté: Botanical Illustration Beyond RosesRead morePierre-Joseph Redouté (1759–1840) is universally regarded as the most influential botanical illustrator of the late eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries. Working at the intersection of Enlightenment science and artistic refinement, his engravings transformed botanical illustration into a visual language capable of both scientific precision and enduring aesthetic value.
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Jacob L'Admiral and the Metamorphosis of Insects – A Dutch Enlightenment Marvel (1774)Read moreIn the vibrant scientific atmosphere of the 18th century, Jacob L’Admiral (1700–1775), a Dutch naturalist and engraver, published one of the most striking visual records of insect life cycles:“Auwkeurige Waarneemingen Omtrent de Veranderingen Van Veele Insekten of Gekorvene Diertjes” (1774) —or, in English: “Accurate Observations Concerning the Transformations of Various Insects or Small Crawling Creatures.” Jacob L’Admiral’s 1774 folio on insect transformations is a landmark of...