The harmonious composition of Berlese Pl. 162, Camellia Rex Bataviae, ou Roi… captures the flower’s abundant petals and elegantly serrated leaves.
Rendered through the printmaking technique of stipple-engraving, the image is composed of a series of small engraved dots that lend a soft quality to the appearance of the flower. Hand-applied color enhances the delicately engraved flower, adding depth and dimension to it. Breathe life into any space with this original 19th-century engraving. From the gardens of France to your walls, these botanicals will brighten and elevate any space.
About Iconographie du Genre Camellia
Produced from 1839—1843 by Abbe Lorenzo Berlèse, Iconographie du Genre Camellia is a monograph on the camellia genus containing 300 hand-colored stipple engravings of the flowers. Produced in response to the introduction of an increased number of camellia hybrids and species to Europe, Berlèse’s Iconographie proved significant in identifying and differentiating the camellia varietals. The wealthy Italian Abbot Berlèse spent his adult years in France where he studied, cultivated, and wrote about camellias. Beautiful in groupings of four, six, or eight images, the camellias vary in color from ruby red to pink, white, and variegated.
About Abbé Laurent Berlèse
Abbé Laurent Berlèse was the greatest 19th-century scholar on the subject of camellias, which reached peak popularity in the mid-19th century as new variants were cultivated. Born in northern Italy, Berlèse pursued his vocation as a chaplain and moved to Paris where he cultivated camellias. As his gardens grew with new and hybrid camellias, Berlèse recognized the need to document and record the camellia varietals. In response to this need for a camellia index, Berlèse published Iconographie du genre Camellia (1839) containing 300 hand-colored stipple engravings of the flower varietals.
For more information about Berlese Pl. 162, Camellia Rex Bataviae, ou Roi…, email us at [email protected] or check out our articles The Historical Significance of Botanical Illustration and What is an Engraving? A Guide to Intaglio Printmaking Techniques.
more information about botanical printsView All Articles
Audubon Prints Birds and Animal Art Botanical Art Information
Natural History Art Treasures under $10,000
Collecting original art doesn’t have to be expensive. In fact, there are a surprising number of original paintings and antique prints that can be acquired [...]
Read More
Botanical Art
A Guide to Collecting Antique Botanical Prints
Loved for their beauty, whimsy, and relative affordability, botanical prints offer a wonderful avenue for novice and seasoned collectors alike. Whether displayed as solitary statement [...]
Read More
Birds and Animal Art Botanical Art Information
An Obsession with Natural History and Victorian Collecting Crazes
Spanning the majority of the 19th century, the Victorian era was marked by a rise in fashionable collecting hobbies. Natural history objects were among the [...]
Read More
Botanical Art Information
How to Distinguish Between the Various Editions of Besler’s ‘Garden of Eichstätt’
A practical guide to understanding and identifying the different editions of Besler’s folio through paper types and material characteristics.
Read More
Botanical Art
Plant Mutations in the Botanical Prints of Pierre-Joseph Redouté
A consideration of the artistic rendering of the Tulip Breaking Virus, and the phenomenon of Rose Perfoliation in Redouté's prints
Read More
Botanical Art
Encountering the Amazon through Margaret Mee’s Lens
A consideration of Mee's implicit and overt depictions of symbiotic ecosystems in her paintings of the Amazon Rainforest
Read More
