Framed Watercolour, 19th Century Fungi Study, Artist Unknown

 
 
Title: Botanical Study Sheet – Jungermannia complanata
Artist: Unknown
Date: 31 May 1802
Medium: Watercolour and ink on laid paper
Origin: Likely German or Central European
Inscription: Jungermannia complanata (with date: 31 May 1802)
Measures - 27 cm x 17 cm 
 
 
This finely detailed botanical illustration depicts Jungermannia complanata, a liverwort species now classified under the genus Lophocolea or Plagiochila, depending on taxonomic revision. The sheet is meticulously inscribed in a delicate hand with both the Latin name and a specific date: 31 May 1802 — a rare and valuable detail that confirms its early 19th-century provenance.
The specimen is presented in two forms: a full frond with its flattened leaf structure, and a sequential dissection showing the plant's reproductive structures in various stages. The careful attention to form and life cycle suggests this was a study intended for academic or teaching use, likely within the context of early botanical research and classification.
Executed in subtle olive and ochre tones, and preserved on laid paper with visible chain lines, the work exemplifies the clarity and precision that defined Enlightenment and early Romantic-era scientific illustration. A rare and beautiful artefact of early natural science.