White Butterflies – Antique Hand-Colored Engraving (1835)

White Butterflies (Pieris phaloe, Pieris paulina, Pieris calypso) – Antique Hand-Colored Engraving (1835)

€200.00

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Delicate white butterflies with subtle yellow, orange, and black accents. A refined 1835 engraving with light and elegant decorative appeal.

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Authentic antique prints

Original engravings from the 17th–19th century.

Description
Product Details

White Butterflies: Subtle Elegance in Exotic Lepidoptera

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

The composition is defined by a luminous white palette, enhanced by fine black markings and subtle touches of yellow and orange. This restrained contrast creates a refined and highly decorative visual effect.

With its light tones and balanced vertical structure, this engraving is particularly suited as antique butterfly wall art, bringing elegance and clarity to interior spaces.

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Visual and Aesthetic Analysis

The upper butterfly presents soft beige and white tones with subtle brown accents, creating a calm and natural appearance.

The central specimen introduces gentle yellow highlights that add warmth without disrupting the overall lightness of the composition.

The lower butterfly adds definition with stronger black markings and small yellow and orange details, completing a harmonious progression of tones.

About the Species

Butterflies of the genus Pieris, commonly known as whites, are admired for their clarity of form and subtle coloration.

Their understated beauty made them ideal subjects for nineteenth-century natural history illustration, where precision and balance were essential.

This engraving captures that refined aesthetic, presenting three variations within a unified visual harmony.

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 the most subtle tonal variations to be rendered with precision: Pauquet: Master Engraver .

Condition Report

Very good antique condition. Clean impression with well-preserved original hand-coloring in soft tones. Printed on original nineteenth-century paper. Minor age toning consistent with age. Examples with such delicate color balance and clarity are increasingly difficult to find.

Details

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

Reference YBX

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