Jacques Louis Engramelle, Skipper and Copper Butterflies (Lycaenidae & Hesperiidae), c1779 to 1792 (Copy)

Skipper and Copper Butterflies (Lycaenidae & Hesperiidae)

Various species including Lycaena phlaeas and Hesperia comma
Jacques Louis Engramelle, Papillons d’Europe, Paris, 1779 to 1792
Originally hand colored copperplate engraving on chain linked, watermarked laid paper
Illustrated by Poirier, engraved by J. J. Juillet
Paper size: approximately 11 ¾ × 9 inches (30 × 23 cm)

This finely detailed eighteenth century engraving from Papillons d’Europe features several species of small butterflies from the Lycaenidae and Hesperiidae families, commonly known as coppers and skippers. Their rich orange and tawny wings, spotted underwings, and slender antennae are rendered with exquisite precision, reflecting the Enlightenment’s fascination with the diversity of the natural world.

Engramelle’s Papillons d’Europe was among the grandest natural history works of the Enlightenment, issued in only 250 hand colored copies. It was created under royal patronage and subscribed to by Louis XVI, Marie Antoinette, and Buffon. Early impressions on chain linked paper with fresh color and full plate marks are now extremely rare.

Plate condition: Very good to excellent overall with only light age marks.