6739 - German

German circa 1840. Approximately 135 watercolor natural prints of various butterflies and moths. Mounted on mostly folded folio sheets, each framed by a gold border. Each measuring approx. 2 x 3.5 to 6.5 x 7 cm (including gold border). Loose sheets in a private cardboard folder. Extensive collection of approx. 135 lifelike depictions of various butterflies and moths, compiled by a knowledgeable entomologist using the technique of natural animal printing, in which pressing insect wings produces true-to-scale, extremely delicate, and highly detailed depictions of their natural structures. The insect bodies are excluded from the impression and each has been delicately watercolored. Some of the backing sheets bear genus names, including Pontia brassicae, Vanessa prorsa, Ennomus prunaria, Phlogophora meticulosa, Colias, Pygaera, and Hylina. - We ask that you request condition reports for the lots, as the condition is listed in the catalog only in exceptional cases. - Please ask for condition reports for individual lots, as the condition is usually not mentioned in the catalog.