White, Blue & Red Butterflies – Antique Hand-Colored Engraving (1835)

Exotic Butterflies (Pieris lycimnia, Celestina sp., Thyria sp.) – Antique Hand-Colored Engraving (1835)

€210.00

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Delicate blue, white, and vivid red butterflies arranged in a refined vertical composition. An elegant 1835 engraving with balanced decorative appeal.

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Authentic antique prints

Original engravings from the 17th–19th century.

Description
Product Details

White, Blue & Red Butterflies: Elegant Contrast in Exotic Lepidoptera

This original 1835 hand-colored copper engraving depicts three elegant butterflies, historically identified as Pieris celestina, Pieris lycimnia, and Pieris thyria. The plate belongs to the celebrated Exotic Butterflies series directed by Hippolyte Lucas and engraved by Pauquet.

The composition is defined by a refined interplay of pale blue, luminous white, and vivid red, each butterfly set apart by crisp black accents along the wing edges. This structured contrast creates a balanced and highly decorative visual effect.

With its graceful vertical arrangement and harmonious palette, this engraving is particularly suited as antique butterfly wall art, offering a sophisticated and elegant statement.

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Visual and Aesthetic Analysis

The upper butterfly introduces the composition with delicate icy blue wings bordered in black, producing an airy and luminous presence.

The central specimen refines the rhythm with a nearly white surface, punctuated by dark tips and subtle decorative markings, while the lower butterfly anchors the plate with an intense red-orange brilliance.

This progression from cool lightness to warm intensity creates a strong visual cadence, making the plate both aesthetically compelling and visually memorable.

About the Species

Butterflies historically classified under Pieris were admired by nineteenth-century naturalists for their elegant wing shapes, clear coloration, and visual diversity.

Their contrasting tonal range, from pale translucent hues to more saturated tropical colors, made them especially attractive subjects in natural history illustration.

This engraving reflects that fascination, presenting three distinct chromatic expressions within a single harmonious composition.

Heritage Stories

This engraving is part of the renowned Lucas – Exotic Butterflies series, published in 1835 during the golden age of natural history illustration.

Learn more in our article: Hippolyte Lucas and Exotic Butterflies.

The engraving was executed by Pauquet, whose refined technique allowed even delicate tonal transitions to be rendered with exceptional clarity: Pauquet: Master Engraver.

Condition Report

Very good antique condition. Clean impression with well-preserved original hand-coloring in pale blue, white, and vivid red tones. Printed on original nineteenth-century paper. Minor age toning consistent with age. Examples with such fresh color balance and decorative clarity are increasingly difficult to find.

Details

Scientific direction: Hippolyte Lucas
Artist & engraver: Pauquet
Work: Exotic Butterflies
Species: Pieris celestina, Pieris lycimnia, Pieris thyria
Year: 1835
Technique: Original copper engraving, hand-colored
Paper: Original 19th-century paper
Watermark: None visible
Sheet size: approx. 24 × 15 cm

Reference YBL

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