This rare copperplate engraving, hand-colored on handmade verge paper, depicts fourteen varieties of lichen. It comes from Natuurlyke Historie of Uitvoerige Beschryving der Dieren, Planten en Mineraalen (Natural History or Extensive Description of Animals, Plants and Minerals), a monumental 37-volume work published in Amsterdam between 1761 and 1785. The text, a Dutch translation by Martinus Houttuyn of Carl Linnaeus’s Systema Naturae, helped lay the foundations of modern taxonomy.
We sourced this hand-colored lichen print from Pictura Antique Prints in Overasselt, Netherlands, a gallery founded by former landscape architect Peter Cornelissen, whose clients include the Metropolitan Museum of Art and the Rijksmuseum.
The museum-quality birch frame and archival mounting add a further layer of craftsmanship. Inspired by a delicate beveled window mat spotted at a Japanese antique dealer in Paris’s 6th Arrondissement, we collaborated with a Berkshires framing studio to recreate the look. The result is a setting that draws the eye to the engraving’s fine detail with understated elegance. UV-protective glass ensures the colors remain vivid for generations.
Origin: From Natuurlyke Historie, Amsterdam, Netherlands
Materials: Copperplate engraving on hand-colored verge paper; birch frame and archival mounting and UV-protective glass
Dimensions: Print measures 10.6 in × 8.3 in (27 cm x 21 cm) ; frame measures 14 in × 11.25 in × .75 in (35.5 cm x 28.5 cm x 2 cm)
Weight: 1 lb (450 grams)
Year/s: 1761–1785
Notes: Certificate of authenticity included
This rare copperplate engraving, hand-colored on handmade verge paper, depicts fourteen varieties of lichen. It comes from Natuurlyke Historie of Uitvoerige Beschryving der Dieren, Planten en Mineraalen (Natural History or Extensive Description of Animals, Plants and Minerals), a monumental 37-volume work published in Amsterdam between 1761 and 1785. The text, a Dutch translation by Martinus Houttuyn of Carl Linnaeus’s Systema Naturae, helped lay the foundations of modern taxonomy.
We sourced this hand-colored lichen print from Pictura Antique Prints in Overasselt, Netherlands, a gallery founded by former landscape architect Peter Cornelissen, whose clients include the Metropolitan Museum of Art and the Rijksmuseum.
The museum-quality birch frame and archival mounting add a further layer of craftsmanship. Inspired by a delicate beveled window mat spotted at a Japanese antique dealer in Paris’s 6th Arrondissement, we collaborated with a Berkshires framing studio to recreate the look. The result is a setting that draws the eye to the engraving’s fine detail with understated elegance. UV-protective glass ensures the colors remain vivid for generations.
Origin: From Natuurlyke Historie, Amsterdam, Netherlands
Materials: Copperplate engraving on hand-colored verge paper; birch frame and archival mounting and UV-protective glass
Dimensions: Print measures 10.6 in × 8.3 in (27 cm x 21 cm) ; frame measures 14 in × 11.25 in × .75 in (35.5 cm x 28.5 cm x 2 cm)
Weight: 1 lb (450 grams)
Year/s: 1761–1785
Notes: Certificate of authenticity included
