Lamia - Friedrich Justin Bertuch, 1806. (Mythology Wall Art)
This vintage art print shows Lamia as a calm, watchful figure in a simple landscape. The body is part human and part creature, with clear lines and soft color on a warm parchment style background. The scene feels quiet and slightly eerie rather than bloody or violent, so it works well in a study, reading corner or bedroom where you want something a bit strange and mythical without it overwhelming the room.
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 large picture book for children printed in many parts around 1800s. It gathered thousands of images of animals, plants, machines and mythical beings to teach children about the world in a visual way.
In older stories, Lamia was a dangerous female spirit from Greek and later European tradition, often described as a child-stealing monster or a night being that hunts the young. Bertuch does not show any attack here. He lets Lamia stand in profile so you can clearly see the mix of human and animal parts, with gentle shading to suggest skin, scales and fur without crowding the picture. The ground and sky are only lightly drawn, which keeps your eye on the figure itself. The steady, almost textbook style is very close to what he uses in his basilisk illustration, so Lamia also feels like a clear picture you might find in an early natural history book rather than a wild horror scene.
Craft & finish
This 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 collection.
Lamia (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
