Prints and Principles

Most of the recent posts give details about individual prints and earlier posts discuss some of the subtle principles guiding artists in making images meaningful and memorable. For prints that are unsold, click "Items still available for sale" below. All other prints are no longer available. My contact email is oz_jim@printsandprinciples.com and my Instagram username is @printsandprinciples. I have created a separate blog to show my own work: https://printsandprinciplesjamesbrown.blogspot.com

Saturday, 28 February 2026

Louis van Houtte & Joseph Guillaume de Pannemaeker, “Catawba Rhododendron (Duc de Brabant variety)”, c. 1853

Louis van Houtte (sometimes misidentified as “Horto van Houtteano," which is Latin/Portuguese for “Van Houtte's Garden” and the publisher’s name for Van Houtte) (1810–1876) in collaboration with Pieter Joseph Guillaume de Pannemaeker (1832–1904)—one of Van Houtte’s key lithographers and a preeminent botanical artist.

“Catawba Rhododendron (Duc de Brabant variety)” or “Rhododendrum Catawb. Duc de Brabant” (as titled in the plate) or “Rhododendron catawbiense 'Duc de Brabant'” (the scientific name), c. 1853

Note: The "Duc de Brabant" refers to the title held by Leopold II, the future King of the Belgians. Naming a hardy, "noble" flower after the heir to the throne was a strategic political and marketing move by Van Houtte.

Technical Details & Condition:

Chromolithograph (possibly with hand finishing) on wove paper, with full margins and gatefold as issued. Published in Ghent by Van Houtte’s publishing house, Horto van Houtteano, between 1853 and 1854, as a double-page (“folding”) illustration—plate numbers 924-925—part of Louis van Houtte’s “Flore des Serres et des Jardins de l'Europe: Annales Générales d'Horticulture” (Flowers of the Greenhouses and Gardens of Europe, General Annals of Horticulture), volume 9. The sheet is mounted on archival-quality washi paper, allowing the fold to be flattened and supported. The impression is strong and well-printed. The sheet is in excellent (near-pristine) condition, free of tears, holes, stains, or handling marks.

Dimensions:

Sheet: 33 x 24.2 cm

Lettered on Plate:

Lower centre: “RHODODENDRUM CATAWB. Duc de Brabant/ ħ [the letter ‘h’ with its elongated tail is the printer’s abbreviation for ‘Hybride’ / hybrid”] Semis Ledeberg-Pleine terre [Seedling from Ledeberg—Open ground]”
Lower right: “uff. lith et pict— in Horto van Houtteano”

Price & Shipping:

AU$212 (approximately US$150.91 / €127.70 / £111.93), including worldwide express shipping. Please note: Import duties and taxes are the buyer’s responsibility.

If you're interested in acquiring this exceptionally beautiful colour lithograph of a spray of Rhododendron flowers—specifically from a hybrid seedling cultivated for its notable (and historically significant in 19th-century Belgium) ability to survive in “pleine terre” (open ground) despite freezing conditions—please contact me at oz_jim@printsandprinciples.com. I am happy to provide a secure PayPal invoice for a seamless purchase.