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Flora and Fauna
Antique Java Plum Botanical Chromolithograph by Hoola van Nooten, c. 1880
$1,330
€1,190 · £995
Original print, not a reproduction
Ships worldwide from the Netherlands, insured and tracked. 14-day returns.
- Date
- 1880
- Sheet size
- 21.9 × 15.7 in (55.5 × 40 cm)
- Condition
- Good. Good antique condition with age-related toning, occasional foxing and light handling wear consistent with age. Please examine all photographs carefully, as they form part of the description.
- Island
- Java
- Collection
- Flora and Fauna
- Period
- Netherlands Indies, 1850 and after
- Stock no.
- f_51121452
- Color
- Printed color
What the condition grades mean
- Excellent
- Bright and clean, with no faults worth mentioning.
- Very good
- Only light signs of age, such as faint toning.
- Good
- Normal signs of age for a sheet of this period: toning, some foxing, small marks or neat old repairs.
- Fair
- Clear faults such as staining, tears or repairs, priced to match.
Every fault we see is written in the condition note, and the whole sheet is shown uncropped in the photos.
Antique Java Plum Botanical Chromolithograph by Hoola van Nooten, c. 1880
Description:
A beautiful original antique botanical chromolithograph depicting Syzygium jambolanum Dec., now generally accepted as Syzygium cumini, commonly known as the Java Plum, Java Black Plum, Jamun, Jambolan, or Malabar Plum. One of the most important tropical fruit trees of South and Southeast Asia, the species is celebrated for its glossy evergreen foliage and abundant clusters of deep purple fruits.
Native to the Indian subcontinent, the Java Plum became widely established throughout Indonesia and the Dutch East Indies, where it was cultivated for its sweet yet pleasantly astringent fruit. Rich in color and flavor, the fruit has long been enjoyed fresh, preserved, or used in traditional beverages and has also been valued in traditional medicine for centuries.
The composition beautifully illustrates fruiting branches laden with ripening and mature fruits, together with detailed botanical studies of the flowers, seed, and fruit in section. The elegant arrangement of the rich purple fruit against the lustrous green foliage makes this one of the most refined and decorative fruit plates in Berthe Hoola van Nooten's celebrated botanical masterpiece.
The artwork was painted from life on the island of Java by the distinguished Dutch botanical artist Berthe Hoola van Nooten (1817 to 1892). It was published in her masterpiece, Fleurs, Fruits et Feuillages Choisis de l'Ile de Java, widely regarded as one of the finest nineteenth-century botanical publications devoted to the flora of the Dutch East Indies. Printed in rich chromolithography by P. De Pannemaeker of Ghent, this plate was issued in the third edition published in Brussels by Librairie Européenne C. Muquardt around 1880.
Today, the Java Plum remains one of the most admired tropical fruit trees throughout Indonesia, India, Malaysia and beyond. This original antique print combines botanical importance with timeless decorative appeal and is an outstanding example of Victorian botanical art.
This is an original antique print, printed circa 1880, and not a modern reproduction or later copy.
Artist:
Berthe Hoola van Nooten (1817 to 1892)
Publication:
Fleurs, Fruits et Feuillages Choisis de l'Ile de Java
Publisher:
Librairie Européenne C. Muquardt, Brussels
Printer:
P. De Pannemaeker, Ghent
Circa 1880
Medium:
Original chromolithograph on wove paper.
Good antique condition with age-related toning, occasional foxing and light handling wear consistent with age. Please examine all photographs carefully, as they form part of the description.
The print is sold unframed.
This is a desirable fruit subject with strong appeal throughout Asia due to the popularity of the Java Plum.
