Collection of c. 350 original artistically high-quality watercolors mostly of butterflies, beetles, and caterpillars party sitting on flowers or leaves. Finely drawn and colored on 87 heavy paper sheets with watermark on some leaves "WZ" (i.e. J. Whatman Turkey Mills), dated 1821-25.

85 sheets size 235 x 215 mm; 2 sheets size 151 x 134 mm. In contemporary cloth slipcase, richly decorated with gilt rocaille decors on front and rear covers, all sides with gilt rocaille in same decor (slightly rubbed). Exlibris Heinrich Angst (1847-1922), founding director of the Swiss National Museum Zurich. N.p., n.d., (early 19th century). A beautiful collection of brilliant drawn and colored insects painted on heavy Whatman paper. Up to seven insects are shown partly sitting on flowers or leaves. The work is of quite high quality in both, drawing and coloring and can be compared with the best work of entomological book illustration. It is not possible for us to identify the artist, and therefore we were unable to discover anything about place of origin. Perhaps also the painter, draftsman and etcher Johann Rudolf Schellenberg (1775- 1851) from Winterthur who bore the same first name as his father, Johann Rudolf Schellenberg (1740- 1806) - the famous book illustrator - can be designated as painter of these beautifully water colors. An autograph letter probably by Heinrich Angst himself is attached here in which Angst writes (transl.) "that he bought this present collection from Professor Alfred Ernst of Winterthur as an authentic work by J. R. Schellenberg. the Ernst family inherited the whole Schellenberg estate". J. R. Schellenberg junior's life data match the data of the heavy Whatman paper.- All leaves are brighly colored and in pristine condition. PRINTS & DRAWINGS ; ENTOMOLOGY ;

Anno di pubblicazione: (early 19th century)