Before Kunstformen der Natur – Three Original Ernst Haeckel Medusae Lithographs (1879)

Before Kunstformen der Natur: The Scientific Origins of an Icon

This exceptional curated suite brings together three original lithographs from Ernst Haeckel’s monumental scientific work Das System der Medusen (1879) — plates that appear to anticipate, and visually resonate with, some of the marine forms later celebrated in his internationally renowned Kunstformen der Natur.

Rather than decorative reinterpretations, these are scientific originals: lithographs created during Haeckel’s direct study of jellyfish morphology, printed in the nineteenth century and bearing the credit “E. Haeckel del.” on the plate — an important indication of Haeckel’s own artistic involvement in the observation and rendering of these extraordinary marine organisms.

A Curated Suite of Three Medusae Plates

Together, the three plates form an unusually coherent visual ensemble. Displayed as a group, they reveal the transition between scientific observation and aesthetic vision, offering a rare opportunity to experience the intellectual and visual world from which Haeckel’s later artistic imagery emerged.

• Taf. XXX – Desmonema
• Taf. XXXI – Polybostricha
• Taf. XXXII – Floscula / Floresca

Visual and Interior Presence

With their flowing tentacles, radial symmetry and extraordinary biological architecture, these works possess an aesthetic power that feels strikingly modern. The suite moves from warm amber and coral tones to refined marine blue, creating a sophisticated visual rhythm suited to a collector’s study, a design-led interior, a private gallery wall or a cabinet of curiosities.

This grouping is offered as a curated museum-grade suite and is available only as a set.

Condition Report

Printed on original nineteenth-century paper and preserved in very good to excellent antique condition. Age-appropriate toning, occasional light spotting and minor signs of handling may be present, consistent with original scientific works of this period. Please examine the photographs carefully, as each plate is an authentic nineteenth-century impression with its own individual paper character.

Details

• Work: Das System der Medusen
• Artist / Author: Ernst Haeckel
• Plate credit: “E. Haeckel del.”
• Date: 1879
• Technique: Original 19th-century lithographs
• Publisher: Gustav Fischer, Jena
• Lithography: Lith. Anst. v. F. Giltsch, Jena
• Included plates: Taf. XXX – Desmonema; Taf. XXXI – Polybostricha; Taf. XXXII – Floscula / Floresca
• Sheet size: approx. 35 × 27.5 cm each
• Sold as: Curated suite of three original lithographs