Scarce 1766 GEORG KNORR Hand-Colored Folio Engraving Pl. 4 BUTTERFLIES & MOTHS

Description: Rare 1766 Hand-Colored Folio Copper-Plate Engraving from: D E L I C I Æ N A T U R A E S E L E C T Æ, O FUITGELEEZEN KABINETVANNATUURLYKE ZELDZAAMHEDENW E L K E D E DRIE RYKEN DER NATUUR 1. Atlas moth, Attacus atlas 2. Menelaus blue morpho, Morpho menelaus 3 lanternfly, Pyrops candelaria 4-8 European butterflies Ex Museo Beurreriano (Specimens from the Wunderkammer orCabinet of Curiosities of Johann Ambrosius Beurer) This stunning hand-painted engraving originates from Georg Wolfgang Knorr's (1705 -1761) Deliciae Naturae Selectae (Selected Delights of Nature), published in 1766-1767. About the Volumes: This is one of the finest color-plate natural history books, illustrating specimens from the leading collections of Nuremberg. The plates depict mainly marine and zoological subjects, but also include a number of fine depictions of minerals. The magnificent plates include 15 of corals, 7 of shells, 6 of butterflies and moths, 4 of sea-urchins, 6 of minerals, 7 of crabs, lobsters, scorpions and spiders, 4 of starfish, 9 of fish, 7 of birds, 14 mammals and 12 of reptiles.There were apparently only 99 copies of this work printed. This plate is from one of those 99. About the Artist & Author: Georg Wolfgang Knorr (1705-1761) was an accomplished German palaeontologist, painter, engraver. He engraved portraits, landscapes and animal studies after Albrecht Dürer. Knorr was introduced to natural history engraving when, while still an apprentice, he worked on the plates for Johann Scheuchzer's popular Physica sacra (1731-35; we have a copy in the History of Science Collection). In the 1750s, Knorr began issuing his own sumptuous folios.One such work, Sammlung von Merkwürdigkeiten der Natur (Collection of Curiosities of Nature, 1755), was an illustrated encyclopedia of fossils, all beautifully engraved and colored by Knorr. It was one of the first such books to recognize that all these fossils are the remains of once-living creatures, and it set the stage for the later discovery that one could use such fossils to order and date the rocks that contain them.Philipp Ludwig Statius Müller (1725 – 1776) was a German zoologist. About the Plate:Every part of these prints was made by hand: Hand drawn & engraved on Copper or steel which was hand-mined, smelted & rolled, printed onto handmade cotton rag paper, inked & colored with hand-ground pigments individually by hand, & they were usually hand sewn into handmade leather-bound books. I've not found any other dis-bound prints from these volumes at present. Certainly this one is about the best I've seen from the set of butterflies & moths, it's stunning. I've never found another original copy of this plate. Condition:Appears to be in excellent condition for a centuries-old engraving. The hand-coloring appears to remain sharp & brilliant as the day it was painted. Typical age-toning & character for a print this old. Almost no foxing. A very clean plate as these go. Please peruse the detailed photos. These prints are very old & may have minor imperfections expected with age, such as some typical age-toning of the paper, oxidation of the old original watercolors, spots, text-offsetting, artifacts from having been bound into a book, etc. Please examine the photos & details carefully.Text Page(s): This one comes without original text page(s). About These Stunning Lepidopterans:Lepidoptera or lepidopterans is an order of winged insects which includes butterflies and moths. Some of the magnificent examples of this order depicted here are:1: The Atlas moth, Attacus atlas, one of the largest lepidopterans, with a wingspan measuring up to 9.4". It's a large saturniid moth endemic to the forests of Asia. These are the Silk Moths.2: Menelaus blue morpho, Morpho menelaus: The renowned wings of Morpho menelaus are a stunning example of iridescent blue coloration in the insect world. The bright and iridescent colors of other butterflies are typically caused by optical interference, but the iridescent blue color of butterflies in the family Morphidae results from the microstructures of the wings.3: lanternfly, Pyrops candelaria: Laternaria candelaria is a species of planthopper Size: 18-34" x 12-1/2" inches approximately. Combined Shipping: Yes! Multiple prints can be combine into one Priority Mail package. Larger prints may need to be shipped in tube. eBay should auto-combine your items if you put all of your selections into your shopping cart & check out all together as one order. If you purchase them individually, eBay charges shipping on each. If you're assessed multiple shipping charges for one combined package, I will endeavor to refund any overage asap. For International Combined Shipping through eBay's International Shipping Program, Please Note: At the moment, I've been offering eBay's International Shipping Program. This new shipping program has some advantages since they manage the customs forms, etc. But it apparently has some bugs, It won't allow me to refund shipping overages for individual purchases. So please note: The only way their international shipping program allows combined shipping, is if you put all the items in your cart & check out at once. Otherwise it requires me to ship each item separately in it's own package with its own label. Ebay's International Shipping doesn't allow 'Best Offer' for combined shipping since 'best-offer' requires individual checkout, which then can't be combined in this program (I don't get it either...). So if shipping multiple items in one package is important, the only way it works in eBay's International Shipping Program is if you load them all into your cart, without best-offer, & check out at once. If I accept a best offer for international buyers, the items won't be able to be combined for one shipping cost... Insurance: USPS Priority Mail typically insures a Priority Mail package or envelope for a maximum of $100. If the value of your combined purchase goes over that, I may not always be able to absorb this cost, they do allow me to add the additional insurance cost to cover the additional value. I do pack very carefully. In the extremely rare case that USPS damages anything in transit, the best way to be refunded for your purchase is to actually take your physical package to the Post Office & file a claim, but I'll do my best to help ~ Thanks for Visiting!

Price: 237 USD

Location: Great Barrington, Massachusetts

End Time: 2025-01-20T04:07:28.000Z

Shipping Cost: 15 USD