Date Palm (Phoenix dactylifera) – Original Hand-Colored Engraving by Elisabeth Blackwell

This refined botanical engraving depicts the Date Palm (Phoenix dactylifera), presenting a distinctive frond structure accompanied by fruit and stone for clear botanical reference.

The composition is defined by a strong vertical axis, from which long, narrow leaflets radiate with rhythmic regularity. Elisabeth Blackwell’s rendering emphasizes clarity and proportion, allowing the characteristic architecture of the palm to be read immediately, while the accompanying fruit details provide essential contextual information.

Created in the early eighteenth century, this plate belongs to A Curious Herbal, a foundational medical and botanical work distinguished by the unity of its production, in which drawing, copper engraving, and hand-colouring were executed by the same hand.

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Visual and Aesthetic Analysis

The frond is rendered with measured symmetry, its repeated leaflets creating a strong linear rhythm that guides the eye upward. The inclusion of fruit and stone offsets the verticality of the foliage, introducing visual balance and functional context.

Restrained tonal gradations give depth to the leaves without disrupting their graphic clarity, while the warm colouring of the dates provides a subtle chromatic contrast. The overall effect is one of structural elegance combined with analytical precision.

About the Subject

The date palm (Phoenix dactylifera) held a dual status in early European herbals: a sustaining food of arid regions and an ingredient within materia medica, where its fruit was associated with nourishing and restorative uses. As European compilers absorbed botanical knowledge from travel, trade, and earlier Arabic and Mediterranean sources, the date became an emblematic “eastern” plant—both familiar through commerce and still exotic in its growth habit. Accurate depiction mattered, because a palm’s architecture is unlike most temperate plants; Blackwell’s plate therefore focuses on the frond’s characteristic structure while adding fruit and stone as practical identifiers for the medicinal and culinary commodity circulating in European markets.

Condition Report

The engraving is in exceptionally fine antique condition, printed on original handmade laid paper typical of early 18th-century botanical publications. A period watermark is visible on the sheet, consistent with contemporary papermaking practices. The surface remains fresh and stable, with light, even age-related toning consistent with period paper. The impression is crisp and legible throughout, with well-preserved margins. The engraved credit “Eliz. Blackwell delin. sculp. et pinx.” is present and fully legible, confirming the unified authorship of the plate.

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: Period watermark visible
• Sheet size: approx. 37 × 22 cm

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

Elisabeth Blackwell – A Curious Herbal