Butterflies - J. H. Sulzer, 1776. (Insects Wall Art)
This print feels light and clean. You get a small set of butterflies spaced out on the page, so it looks calm on the wall instead of busy. It fits well in a study, hallway, or reading corner, especially if you like art prints that feel like a page from an old book.
About this butterfly print
This print comes from Dr. Sulzers Abgekürzte Geschichte der Insecten (Winterthur, 1776.), a practical insect book arranged around the Linnaean system. The images were made as hand-colored copperplate engravings by Johann Rudolf Schellenberg, which is why the page has that careful, worked-by-hand look.
The subject here is Lepidoptera, the insect order that includes butterflies and moths. What makes the page satisfying is how it teaches your eye. You can compare wing shapes and patterns at a glance, then keep finding small differences as you look longer. In the same 1776. book, Hymenoptera shifts from soft wings to bees and wasps, but it keeps the same clear “study page” feeling.
Craft & finish
Every replica we make is individually hand-processed in our family workshop. We finish the paper with a traditional beeswax seal to give it a warm, heavy texture. Our team also adds subtle gold paint details by hand to help the artwork truly shine. To complete the look, we hand-burn the edges to give each piece the feel of a true historical artifact.
While our smaller sizes are perfect for gallery walls, our 43x61 cm Large replica is a museum-scale centerpiece. Because of the size, the hand-processing and beeswax application take much longer. This extra time and care ensures that every centimeter of the historic illustration is preserved with a rich, authentic glow.
Find more prints like this in the Vintage Insects Art collection.
Butterflies (J. H. Sulzer, 1776.) - Vintage Butterfly Print
At Artifex Historical Replicas, we bridge the gap between museum archives and your home. Each piece is a handcrafted historical art print recreated from authentic primary sources, including antique city views and botanical illustrations.
Hand-Processed Paper: We use specialized paper with burned edges and a beeswax finish to replicate the weight and feel of genuine old parchment.
Gilded Details: Our workshop adds subtle real gold accents, bringing the same glow to your walls found in 16th-century illuminated manuscripts.
Custom Sizes & Worldwide Shipping: We offer bespoke sizing for custom frames and ship our historical replicas globally from our family workshop.
Explore our full guide on how we create, display, and restore parchment-style replicas.
