Four beetles. [Original watercolour].

Germany, [the artist], [before] 1835. Single leaf (8.9 x 7.1 cm) with four small, detailed drawings of beetles, mounted on a larger sheet (17.5 x 11.7 cm). Preserved in a larger, modern cardboard frame (37.4 x 25.6 cm). = A beautiful, scientifically accurate illustration of four beetles. Included are a cardinal beetle (Pyrochroa coccinea), a carrion beetle (Dendroxena sp.), a rhinoceros beetle (Oryctes, female), and another, smaller beetle which we leave to the experienced coleopterists to identify. On the verso, the following genera are written in an old hand: Pyrochroa, Buprestis, Scarabeus, and Sylpha. Signed on the larger sheet, in an old hand, Jac. Sturm del., i.e., the German naturalist, engraver, and publisher Jakob, or Jacob, Sturm (1771-1841). Sturm illustrated many zoological, botanical, and entomological works, e.g., Abbildungen zu Karl Illiger's Übersetzung von Oliviers Entomologie, and Deutschlands Fauna in Abbildungen nach der Natur mit Beschreibungen. However, on the sheet verso itself, inscribed in a different old hand, viz., J. A. Boerner, i.e., the German painter, etcher, lithographer, auctioneer, print collector and dealer, Johann Andreas Boerner (1785-1862). It is quite possible that this is, actually, Sturm's work, and that Boerner merely added his name as an owner. Boerner did paint animals, however, no other entomological drawings are known from his hand. On stylistical grounds we rather attribute these drawings to Sturm. Moreover, they were found in a map with drawings and print proofs that are certainly from the latter. Some very light foxing, otherwise an excellent, clean item with the colouring accurate and bright.