Georg Dionysius Ehret Antique Original 1747 Gouache Botanical Illustration on Vellum
Item Details
An antique original 18th-century gouache painting on vellum of black walnuts by listed by Georg Dionysius Ehret (1710 – 1770), created in 1747. This painting depicts a flowering walnut tree branch with pink and white flower buds. The lower illustration depicts the walnut in growth with a green husk. The piece is signed and dated to the lower right corner. Housed behind museum glass in a white and blue mat within a gilt tone frame.
Georg Dionysius Ehret was born in Germany and is well-known for his botanical illustrations. Ehret began as a gardener’s apprentice close to Heidelberg. The first illustrations he produced were in collaboration with Carl Linnaeus, a botanist, and George Clifford, a governor of the Dutch East India Company and botanist with an herbarium. It was at the Clifford estate that Ehret helped to create the Hortus Cliffortianus in 1738, a work of early botanical literature. Ehret later moved to England to produce more illustrations of plants. His work can be found in the Natural History Museum in London, the Hunt Institute for Botanical Documentation in Pittsburgh, PA, and the Royal Society, London.
Condition
- remarkable for age. Staining along the right side of the composition; some scuffs are present to the frame. Vellum is mounted to card stock. Fine craquelure throughout painting.
Dimensions
- measured in the frame; sight size: 19.50" W x 16" H.
Item #
17CIN163-115
