Close-ups
Framed and on the wall
Frame and rooms are illustrations of how the print could look, drawn to its real size; it is sold unframed unless the description says otherwise.
Flora and Fauna
Antique Sugarcane Chromolithograph, Teboe Soerat Gempolkerap and Mangli, 1892
€895
$1,000 · £750
Original print, not a reproduction
Ships worldwide from the Netherlands, insured and tracked. 14-day returns.
- Date
- 1892
- Sheet size
- 23.6 × 15.7 in (60 × 40 cm)
- Condition
- Good. One plate in very good condition for its age. Light, even age toning and minor surface marks consistent with atlas plates. Slight marginal wear. Colors remain fresh and well preserved. Plate mark visible. No significant tears or losses.
- Island
- Java
- Collection
- Flora and Fauna
- Period
- Netherlands Indies, 1850 and after
- Stock no.
- f_48059262
- 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 Sugarcane Chromolithograph, Teboe Soerat Gempolkerap and Mangli, 1892
Description
This large chromolithographic plate illustrates two distinct sugarcane varieties cultivated in Java and was published in Berlin in 1892 as part of Friedrich Soltwedel’s botanical study Formen und Farben von Saccharum officinarum L. und verwandten Arten. Produced by W. A. Meyn, the plate demonstrates the high standard of late nineteenth-century agricultural illustration, combining scientific precision with strong decorative impact.
The sheet contains Plates XXII and XXIII, depicting Teboe Soerat Gempolkerap and Teboe Soerat Mangli. Both varieties are rendered in tall, segmented sections with pronounced longitudinal striping in green, brown, and yellow tones. Teboe Soerat Gempolkerap appears slightly slimmer with more regular banding, while Teboe Soerat Mangli is shown as thicker and more robust, with deeper color contrasts and heavier internodes.
These plates were created during a period of systematic botanical research in the Dutch East Indies, when sugarcane cultivation was central to plantation agriculture and colonial economic policy. Soltwedel’s atlas of plates was issued separately from the accompanying text volume and is now scarce, particularly in well-preserved condition.
With its strong vertical composition and richly striped palette, this plate has considerable visual presence and works equally well for collectors of botanical or colonial material and for interior designers seeking large-scale historical imagery with rhythm and color. Companion plates from the same series depicting additional sugarcane varieties are also available; a combined offer can be arranged.
Condition report
One plate in very good condition for its age. Light, even age toning and minor surface marks consistent with atlas plates. Slight marginal wear. Colors remain fresh and well preserved. Plate mark visible. No significant tears or losses.
Framing suggestions
Best framed vertically. A dark walnut, ebonized, or muted antique gold frame with an ivory or parchment mat creates a refined, museum-style presentation. Wide matting is recommended to emphasize scale and preserve the original margins.
Technique: Chromolithography
Maker: W. A. Meyn after F. Soltwedel, Berlin, 1892
