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Sapphire and Emerald | Original Reichenbach Hummingbird Engraving
  • Sapphire and Emerald | Original Reichenbach Hummingbird Engraving
  • Sapphire and Emerald | Original Reichenbach Hummingbird Engraving
  • Sapphire and Emerald | Original Reichenbach Hummingbird Engraving
Sapphire and Emerald | Original Reichenbach Hummingbird Engraving
Fork-tailed & Violet-capped Woodnymphs with Stachytarpheta and Cleome | Antique Engraving Fork-tailed & Violet-capped Woodnymphs with Stachytarpheta and Cleome | Antique Engraving Fork-tailed & Violet-capped Woodnymphs with Stachytarpheta and Cleome | Antique Engraving

Fork-tailed & Violet-capped Woodnymphs with Stachytarpheta and Cleome | Antique Engraving

€395.00
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An original nineteenth-century hand-colored engraving from Ludwig Reichenbach's Trochilinarum Enumeratio, depicting brilliantly iridescent hummingbirds feeding among Stachytarpheta and Cleome blossoms. A refined composition celebrating the extraordinary colours and botanical relationships of tropical hummingbirds.

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  Authentic antique prints

Original engravings from the 17th–19th century.

Sapphire and Emerald: The Iridescent World of Tropical Hummingbirds

This magnificent original nineteenth-century hand-colored engraving from Ludwig Reichenbach's Trochilinarum Enumeratio celebrates one of the most extraordinary features of hummingbirds: their iridescent plumage. Brilliant sapphire blues and luminous emerald greens transform these remarkable birds into living jewels, while elegant flowering plants complete a composition of exceptional scientific and artistic refinement.

Representing two closely related Thalurania hummingbirds feeding among nectar-rich blossoms, the engraving perfectly illustrates the intimate ecological relationship between tropical birds and flowering plants. The restrained composition allows the extraordinary colours of the plumage to become the true focal point of the scene.

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Visual Analysis

Unlike more elaborate narrative compositions, this plate achieves its remarkable impact through colour, balance and light. The four hummingbirds appear suspended around two distinct botanical settings, creating a calm and harmonious arrangement that naturally guides the viewer's eye from the delicate blue blossoms to the elegant white flowers below.

The extraordinary sapphire breast, emerald throat and metallic green plumage exemplify the visual brilliance for which hummingbirds have fascinated naturalists for centuries. Rather than relying on pigments alone, these dazzling colours arise from the microscopic structure of the feathers, producing the iridescent effects that continue to captivate both scientists and collectors today.

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About the Species

Reichenbach assembled two members of the genus Thalurania on this remarkable plate: Thalurania furcata and Thalurania Gyrinna. Both species were associated with different tropical flowering plants, reflecting the close botanical relationships that nineteenth-century naturalists carefully documented alongside hummingbird diversity. :contentReference[oaicite:0]{index=0}

The original index associates Thalurania furcata with Stachytarpheta urticifolia Sims and Thalurania Gyrinna with Cleome heptaphylla L. Together these nectar-rich plants illustrate the remarkable ecological partnership between hummingbirds and tropical flowering species, a relationship that lies at the heart of Reichenbach's vision of natural history. :contentReference[oaicite:1]{index=1}

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Heritage Stories

This engraving belongs to Ludwig Reichenbach's remarkable world of hummingbirds, where Victorian scientific curiosity meets extraordinary visual elegance. Explore the story behind Trochilinarum Enumeratio and discover why these original hummingbird engravings remain so compelling today.

Ludwig Reichenbach and the Art of Hummingbirds →

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Condition Report

Very Good condition. Original nineteenth-century paper with strong hand colouring and a clear plate mark. Minor age-related signs may be present, entirely consistent with authenticity and the historical character of the work.

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Details

Species: Thalurania furcata and Thalurania Gyrinna
Common name: Woodnymph hummingbirds (historical classification)
Work: Trochilinarum Enumeratio
Author: Ludwig Reichenbach
Date: c. 1855–1860
Technique: Original hand-colored engraving
Plate: DCLXXXII (682)
Reference numbers: 4498–4501
Inscription: ad naturam (“drawn from life”)
Associated plants: Stachytarpheta urticifolia Sims and Cleome heptaphylla L.
Origin noted by Reichenbach: Brazil and Guiana
Sheet size: approx. 28.5 × 22.5 cm

U26
1 Item

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