Ceylonese Jungle

1851–65

Not on view

Tight, precise pen strokes fill the sheet, forming a lush array of vegetation. In 1852 Königsbrunn traveled with two biologists to Ceylon, now Sri Lanka, to study the island’s flora. During their ten-month stay, the artist produced drawings that he later developed into intricate compositions like this one, reproduced as an engraving in 1865. By this time, some of Ceylon’s tropical forests had been exploited for ebony and cleared for coffee plantations, a result of European colonial rule.

Artwork Details

Overview

Signatures, Inscriptions, and Markings

Provenance

Exhibition History

Title: Ceylonese Jungle
Artist: Hermann von Königsbrunn (Austrian, Radkersburg, Steiermark 1823–1907 Graz)
Date: 1851–65
Medium: Pen and black ink. Framing line in pen and black ink
Dimensions: sheet: 20 11/16 x 18 1/2 in. (52.6 x 47 cm)
Classification: Drawings
Credit Line: Harry G. Sperling Fund, 2009
Object Number: 2009.339
Curatorial Department: Drawings and Prints

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