Studies of the trunk, blossoms and fruit of a wild apple tree (Malus sylvestris)

1788

Not on view

This drawing is part of a group of four studies of wood species donated to the Museum by Mrs. Wrightsman. They were created by Ludwig Pfleger (1720–1793) who seems to have specialized in still-life scenes and studies after nature. Very little is known about his education and early career. Ludwig's father, Franz Pfleger (? -1737), was employed by Sybilla Augusta, countess of Baden-Baden, as artistic director of Schloss Favorite at Rastatt. In this capacity he designed, amongst others, the gardens of the pleasure palace and it may have been the horticultural work which inspired his young son Franz's inclination towards nature as a subject. The detailed studies of wood species and their various identifying characteristics (bark, grain, leaves, blossom and seeds) date from later in his career, and relate to the upcoming encyclopedic efforts to chart and reproduce native and foreign wood species. A contemporary example can be found in Johann Michael Seligmann’s (1720–1762) "Icones Lignorum", published between 1773-1777, which is lavishly illustrated with highly detailed hand-colored engravings. Such illustrations formed important sources for cabinetmakers and their clients to identify and choose specific wood types for marquetry and pieces of furniture.

Artwork Details

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Signatures, Inscriptions, and Markings

Provenance

Title: Studies of the trunk, blossoms and fruit of a wild apple tree (Malus sylvestris)
Artist: Ludwig Pfleger (German, Rastatt 1720–1793 Rastatt)
Date: 1788
Medium: Watercolor, over a sketch in black chalk or graphite; double framing lines in pen and black ink
Dimensions: sheet: 21 x 14 15/16 in. (53.4 x 38 cm)
Classification: Drawings
Credit Line: Gift of Mrs. Charles Wrightsman, 2009
Object Number: 2009.382
Curatorial Department: Drawings and Prints

More Artwork

By Ludwig Pfleger

In the same medium

From the same time and place

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Studies of the blossoms, fruits and trunk of an English oak (Quercus robur), Ludwig Pfleger German, Watercolor, over black chalk; double framing lines in pen and black ink — Studies of the blossoms, fruits and trunk of an English oak (Quercus robur)
Ludwig Pfleger
1788

Studies of the leaves, blossoms, fruits and trunk of an English elm (Ulmus procera), Ludwig Pfleger German, Watercolor, over a sketch in black chalk. Double framing line in pen and black ink. — Studies of the leaves, blossoms, fruits and trunk of an English elm (Ulmus procera)
Ludwig Pfleger
1788

Studies of the leaves, blossoms, fruits and trunk of a whitebeam (Sorbus subgenus Aria), Ludwig Pfleger German, Watercolor, over a sketch in black chalk; double framing line in pen and black ink — Studies of the leaves, blossoms, fruits and trunk of a whitebeam (Sorbus subgenus Aria)
Ludwig Pfleger
1788

Border Designs for the Mortlake "Acts of the Apostles" Tapestries, Franz Cleyn German, Watercolor with white heightening, details in pen and ink and graphite — Border Designs for the Mortlake "Acts of the Apostles" Tapestries
Franz Cleyn
ca. 1626–36

Design for a Wall Panel or Ceiling with The Virgin and Saints Interceding before Christ for the Souls of the Lost, Johann Baptist Enderle German, Pen and black ink, watercolor and gouache on laid paper — Design for a Wall Panel or Ceiling with The Virgin and Saints Interceding before Christ for the Souls of the Lost
Johann Baptist Enderle
1771 or before

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