Euphorbium (Euphorbia) – Original Hand-Colored Engraving by Elisabeth Blackwell

This refined botanical engraving presents Euphorbium with a striking sense of sculptural clarity, transforming a medicinal plant into a composition of quiet strength and balance.

The subject is rendered with scientific restraint and visual precision, allowing the plant’s structure and distinctive form to be read effortlessly. Elisabeth Blackwell’s approach emphasizes accuracy and legibility, while maintaining an understated aesthetic elegance rooted in direct observation.

Created during the early eighteenth century, this plate belongs to A Curious Herbal, a work conceived as a practical medical reference and executed through an unusually unified process, in which drawing, engraving, and hand-colouring were carried out by the same hand.

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Visual and Aesthetic Analysis

The composition is organized around a stable vertical axis, gently bending as it rises and creating a measured, rhythmic movement through the image. Small lateral offshoots provide visual balance, preventing rigidity while reinforcing the plant’s natural growth pattern.

Subtle tonal transitions model the surface with depth, while the repeated spines define the silhouette with precision. The restrained palette and controlled hand-colouring result in a graphic, almost architectural presence, combining softness and structure in equal measure.

About the Subject

In early medical botany, “Euphorbium” referred to resin-bearing species of Euphorbia, valued not as ornament but as a potent substance in the apothecary’s materia medica. The hardened latex (often collected as a resin) was treated as an active ingredient and therefore handled with caution, which made accurate identification essential. Blackwell’s plate emphasizes the plant’s unmistakable structure—its segmented growth and defensive spines—reflecting the practical purpose of A Curious Herbal: to provide reliable visual references for plants whose therapeutic use depended on correct recognition.

Condition Report

The engraving is in very good antique condition, printed on original handmade laid paper typical of early 18th-century botanical publications. No watermark has been observed. The sheet is exceptionally fresh and clean, with a stable surface and no notable defects. The original hand-coloring remains well preserved, and the impression is crisp and legible throughout. These natural qualities confirm the authenticity of the print as an original production from A Curious Herbal. The original engraved inscriptions are present and fully legible, including “Euphorbium” and the credit “Eliz. Blackwell delin. sculp. et pinx.”, confirming that the drawing, copper engraving, and hand-colouring were executed by Elisabeth Blackwell herself.

Details

• Artist: Elisabeth Blackwell
• Work / Publication: A Curious Herbal
• Period: 1737–1739
• Technique: Original copper engraving, drawn, engraved, and hand-colored by Elisabeth Blackwell
• Paper: Original handmade laid paper
• Watermark: None observed
• Sheet size: approx. 37 × 22 cm

For further context on Elisabeth Blackwell and the singular unity of authorship behind A Curious Herbal, see our editorial feature:

Elisabeth Blackwell – A Curious Herbal