Dragon - Friedrich Justin Bertuch, 1806. (Mythical Creature Art Print)
This vintage art print shows a dragon resting in a simple landscape. The creature has a long body, raised head and curved tail, with wings folded at its sides, all drawn in clear lines and soft color on a warm parchment style background. The mood is more calm than chaotic, so it works well in a study, reading corner or bedroom where you want something mythical and a bit strange without it feeling too aggressive.
About this art print
This print is based on an illustration by Friedrich Justin Bertuch, a German publisher best known for his Bilderbuch für Kinder, a picture book for children that gathered images of animals, plants, machines and legendary creatures in the early 1800s. The dragon appears there as one of the “wonder” animals, shown like a specimen to look at rather than as a wild monster in action.
Bertuch keeps the pose very clear. The dragon is shown from the side so you can see the shape of the head, the wings, the legs and the long tail in one clean outline. Light shading suggests scales and muscle without crowding the picture. The ground line, rocks and plants are only lightly drawn, which keeps the focus on the dragon itself. He uses the same calm, almost textbook style in other mythical creatures, such as his phoenix, so they feel like they come from the same small imagined world.
Craft & finish
This vintage dragon art print is made on hand processed paper, highlighted with subtle gold and sealed with beeswax so it feels close to real parchment when you hold it. The surface catches the light softly on the texture of the paper, but colors can look a little different from screen to screen.
You can find more pieces like this in our Vintage Art Prints collection.
Dragon (Friedrich Justin Bertuch, 1806.) - Vintage Art Print
In case your print creases during the travel, as it usually does travel for some time, you can safely warm it up with a hair-dryer, and the wax will melt back right into it. You can also use a lighter, which is a much faster method, but be careful to keep the flame either above the paper or parallel to it (which means holding the paper vertically) so it doesn't smudge or even catch fire. The chance of the print actually creasing is very small, as they are rolled in bubble-wrap and shipped in a cardboard box. Also, be sure to keep the print out of the direct sunlight, as it can melt or fade.
Visit the link below to see more about how our replicas are made, how to display them, and repair the damage:
https://www.artifex-replicas.com/post/about-our-parchment-replicas
