Silkworm (*Bombyx Mori*) on Mulberry (*Morus alba*) Hand-colored engraving by Jacob L'Admiral (1774)

The Science of Silk and Transformation

This original 1774 hand-colored engraving by Jacob L’Admiral depicts the silkworm (Bombyx mori) in successive stages of development upon the white mulberry (Morus alba). Larvae feed upon the foliage, chrysalides rest within spun cocoons, and winged moths emerge in quiet symmetry below.

Unlike purely decorative compositions, this plate presents metamorphosis as industry as well as biology. The mulberry leaves — carefully veined and structured — support a species whose life cycle shaped European textile production for centuries.

L’Admiral documents not only natural transformation, but the intersection between science, cultivation, and economic life in the Enlightenment era.

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Visual and Aesthetic Analysis

The composition is layered and deliberate. The broad mulberry leaves create structural weight in the upper register, while the lower section reveals cocoons and adult moths arranged with near-symmetrical calm. The repeated golden tones of the moth wings introduce warmth against the cool greens of the foliage.

The engraved line remains crisp, allowing the hand-coloring to articulate subtle tonal variations in the larvae and the fibrous texture of the silk cocoons.

Scientific Context

Bombyx mori, domesticated for silk production since antiquity, became central to European sericulture by the eighteenth century. The white mulberry (Morus alba) was cultivated extensively to sustain larval feeding.

By presenting the complete life cycle upon its host plant, L’Admiral aligns with Enlightenment scientific methodology — uniting taxonomy, developmental study, and agricultural relevance within a single engraved plate.

Condition Report

Printed on original eighteenth-century laid paper with visible chain lines. The margins remain fresh and clean. The impression is sharp, and the hand-coloring retains clarity and tonal integrity. No watermark observed. A well-preserved example dated 1774.

Details

• Artist: Jacob L’Admiral
• Work: Metamorphosis studies of insects (1774)
• Subject: Silkworm (Bombyx mori) on Mulberry (Morus alba)
• Period: 1774
• Technique: Original hand-colored engraving
• Paper: Original laid paper
• Watermark: None observed
• Sheet size: approx. 43 × 26 cm