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Pieter Cramer (1721-1776)
Pieter Cramer (1721-1776) was a wealthy wool merchant living in Amsterdam. An amateur naturalist, he developed an extensive natural history collection that included many colourful butterflies and moths (Lepidoptera), many of which had been collected from exotic areas of the world such as Surinam in South America, where the Dutch had colonial or trading links. Cramer had wanted a permanent record of his important and valuable collection and so engaged the artist Gerrit Wartenaar Lambertz (fl. 1775) to draw his fine collection. He also arranged for Lambertz to draw butterflies and moths belonging to other keen Lepidoptera collectors in the Netherlands. Little is known about Lambertz but he is currently the subject of research by Library staff. Such was the quality of the illustrations that Cramer was persuaded by such people as Caspar Stoll (d.1795) to publish the set of drawings. As a result, the now famous book, De Uitlandsche Kapellen, [1775-] 1779-1782 was published. It consisted of 34 issues in four volumes with all of the drawings accompanied with descriptions of the insects. Sadly, Cramer died before the publication was completed and so Stoll took over responsibility for the project, producing a supplement. De Uitlandsche Kapellen is now regarded as a key work in the history of entomology. Beautifully illustrated with fine hand-coloured engravings this was the first book on exotic Lepidoptera that used a new system by Carl Linnaeus (1707-1778) for naming and classifying animals. Over 1,650 butterfly species were described in this pivotal work, naming and illustrating many new species for the first time.
This drawing depicts four species of butterflies, each drawn life size and showing a view of both the upper and underside of each specimen. The drawings are scientifically very accurate although somewhat stylised. Lambertz positioned each specimen in a pleasing decorative arrangement, perhaps reflecting the position of specimens in the collector's 'cabinet of curiosities'. The drawing gives an idea about the 'global' nature of the butterflies and moths drawn by Lambertz. The large colourful swallowtail butterfly (featured in the centre of this drawing) is (Papilio polymnestor), a butterfly that is found in southern India and Sri Lanka, and would have been a highly prized specimen in the eighteenth century. The green butterfly (shown top right and bottom left) is (Papilio demolion), which is found in South-East Asia from north-east India to Malaysia, Sumatra, Java and Borneo. (Papilio calais) (drawn middle right and left), is widespread in Africa south of the Sahara and the remaining butterfly (top left and bottom right) is (Papilio althea), now known as (Cymothoe althea), a West African species that is found from Liberia to Cameroon. All these specimens belonged to one of Cramer's acquaintances, Baron Rengers. It is amusing to speculate how much Cramer would have loved to possess these particular specimens.
Find out more about the Natural History Museum's collection of butterflies and moths.
The Pieter Cramer Drawings Collection After 300 years, the original 370 sheets of drawings by Lambertz are in remarkably good condition. Bound in volumes, each drawing has had only limited exposure to light and as a result the colours have retained much of their original brilliancy. The collection represents one of the most important examples of eighteenth century scientific illustration still in existence today. But these drawings also have a greater scientific importance. As most of the insect specimens used by Cramer and Stoll to describe new species have long since perished, the original drawings now have a special scientific status as 'iconotypes'. Today, scientists who need to see a fine detail about one of Cramer's butterflies will study these precious original drawings. The drawings are so accurate that they are also used to solve scientific problems in the classification of butterflies. In the 1970s the original bindings were deemed to be past
repair and the collection of drawings was cleaned and rebound
in four full leather bindings.
Exhibition and publication details Cramer, P. & Stoll, C. ([1775]-1779-82) De uitlandsche Kapellen, &c = Papillons exotiques des trois parties du monde, l'Asie, l'Afrique et l'Amâerique, &c. S. J. Baalde & Barthelemy Wild: Amsterdam and Utrecht. 4 vol.
References and further reading Harvey, J. M. V. Notes on the artists and the history of the plates. In: Chainey, J. E. (In Prep.) The species of Papilionidae and Pieridae (Lepidoptera) described by Cramer and Stoll and their putative type material in the Natural History Museum in London. Landwehr, J. (1976) Studies in Dutch Books with coloured plates published 1662-1875. W. Junk: The Hague. 650pp. Vane-Wright, D. (2003) Butterflies. Natural History
Museum: London. 96pp. |
