A vibrant Arbutus engraving by Georg Dionysius Ehret from Miller’s 1755 botanical work, combining botanical precision with striking decorative appeal.
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Original engravings from the 17th–19th century.
This original 18th-century hand-colored copper engraving depicts the Strawberry Tree (Arbutus unedo), illustrated by Georg Dionysius Ehret for Philip Miller’s Figures of the Most Beautiful, Useful, and Uncommon Plants, published in London between 1755 and 1760. The work reflects a moment when botanical study achieved both scientific precision and refined visual clarity.
Drawn from cultivated specimens, the engraving presents the plant with analytical accuracy, isolating its key structural features while maintaining a balanced and harmonious composition.
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The composition is defined by the contrast between the dense green foliage and the distinctive red fruits, whose textured surface creates an immediate focal point. These spherical berries introduce both color intensity and visual weight within the structure of the plant.
Clusters of small, pale blossoms provide a subtle counterbalance, adding lightness and rhythm to the composition. The branching structure guides the eye naturally across the plate, reinforcing a sense of organic movement.
Botanical details — including sectional elements and magnified studies — enhance the scientific value of the engraving, while preserving its decorative elegance.
The clarity of the background allows each element to stand out with precision, a defining feature of Ehret’s work and of 18th-century botanical illustration more broadly.
Arbutus unedo, commonly known as the Strawberry Tree, is a Mediterranean species valued for its distinctive fruits and evergreen foliage. Its unusual combination of flowers and ripe fruit appearing simultaneously made it a subject of particular interest in early botanical studies.
In the context of Miller’s work, such plants exemplified both ornamental and botanical significance, contributing to the broader effort of classification and documentation in 18th-century science.
This engraving belongs to Philip Miller’s Figures of the Most Beautiful, Useful, and Uncommon Plants, produced under his direction at the Chelsea Physic Garden. The plates were drawn from living specimens and executed by leading botanical artists, including Georg Dionysius Ehret, whose work defined the visual language of 18th-century botanical illustration.
The plate bears a publication line reading “Published according to Act of Parliament”, dated 1755, confirming its origin within the first edition of the work.
Discover more about the artist: Georg Dionysius Ehret — The Art of Botanical Precision .
Browse the complete collection: Miller – Uncommon Plants Collection , featuring original 18th-century engravings that combine scientific precision with refined decorative presence.
Very good to excellent antique condition. A particularly crisp and fresh impression, with exceptionally well-preserved original hand-coloring and a remarkably bright and clean appearance. Printed on fine 18th-century laid paper, with generous and well-balanced margins. A very small and faint offsetting mark is visible, of minimal visual impact. The sheet shows a pictorial watermark visible in the sheet. An unusually well-preserved example of the period.
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