Large Italian Reproduction Print Signed

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Description

Offering a beautiful reproduction print titled "Uva Coerulea", commonly known as Blue Grape, an engraving originally illustrated by renowned artist … Read more Offering a beautiful reproduction print titled "Uva Coerulea", commonly known as Blue Grape, an engraving originally illustrated by renowned artist Maria Sibylla Merian (1647-1717). This famous reproduction is taken from the book "Metamorphosis of the Insects of Surinam", first published in 1705. This reproduction depicts the life cycle of the vine moth alongside a grape vine.

A gorgeous LARGE print (see measurements below), with a painted aged gold frame, beautifully double matted and protected with glass. The interior matboard is a blue/gray color, the exterior matboard is a speckled green color framed with a beautiful faux marble border on the matboard itself. The print has an embossed label identifying the item in the bottom right hand corner. Signed John-Richard on verso. This item came directly out of a Naples, FL estate and is in great vintage condition. The new owner will be very happy about its immaculate condition.

EMBOSSED LABEL INDICATES:
There is a circular stamp featuring an Fleur-de-lis associated with the city of Florence, Italy.
There is a horizontal rectangular indentation located to the right of the circular stamp featuring a raised depiction of an artist's paint brush. There is embossed Italian text around the paint brush which reads "Coloritura a mano" (which translates to "Hand-colored" or "Colored by hand") Below the brush reads "Originale 'Ponte Vecchio'" referencing the famous historic bridge in Florence, Italy, known for its artisans and shops.

This is a high end Italian quality hand painted reproduction engraving that is beautifully framed and matted by John-Richards Luxury Home Furnishing, circa 1990s. Strong wire for easy hanging. Designer/Decorator ready.

EXCELLENT VINTAGE CONDITION.

SIZE:
33.5" high
28" wide
2" deep

THIS ITEM WILL BE SENT IN-HOME DELIVERY DUE TO THE FRAGILITY OF THE GLASS.

BIO:
Maria Sibylla Merian (1647–1717)
Maria Sibylla Merian was a pioneering naturalist and artist from Germany. She was born on April 2, 1647, in the Free City of Frankfurt, into a prominent family of publishers, engravers, and artists. Maria Sibylla Merian was a pioneering German-born naturalist, entomologist, and botanical artist. At a time when science was dominated by men and many believed insects spontaneously generated from mud, Merian’s meticulous observations and stunning illustrations fundamentally changed the understanding of insect metamorphosis. Early Training: Her mother subsequently married Jacob Marrel, a renowned still-life painter. Recognizing Maria's talent, Marrel trained her in painting, engraving, copperplate etching, and watercolor mixed with gouache. By her early teens, she was already collecting and breeding silkworms, capturing their lifecycles in detailed sketches.

The Expedition to Suriname
In 1699, at the age of 52—an extraordinary feat for a woman of her era—Merian secured partial funding from the city of Amsterdam and sold off many of her paintings to self-fund a scientific expedition to Suriname in South America. Accompanied by her younger daughter, Dorothea, she spent two grueling years trekking through the dense tropical rainforests. She braved the intense heat and malaria to collect, breed, and study indigenous plants and insects. Crucially, she relied on the knowledge of enslaved African and Indigenous people to locate specimens and understand their properties—contributions she explicitly acknowledged in her later writings.

Metamorphosis Insectorum Surinamensium (1705)
This massive, self-published volume featured 60 large plates depicting the full life cycles of butterflies, moths, beetles, and amphibians. See less