Unicorn - Friedrich Justin Bertuch, 1806. (Mythical Creature Art Print)
This vintage art print shows a unicorn standing in a quiet landscape. The animal has a slender body, a long neck and a single straight horn, drawn with clear lines and soft color on a warm parchment style background. The scene feels calm and a bit dreamlike, so it works well in a study, reading corner or bedroom, especially next to books, wood and softer tones.
About this art print
This print is based on an illustration by Friedrich Justin Bertuch, a German publisher known for his Bilderbuch für Kinder, a picture book for children that gathered images of animals, plants, machines and myths in the early 1800s. The unicorn appears there as one of the “wonder” creatures, shown not as a wild attacker but as a quiet, watchful animal in a simple setting.
Bertuch keeps the pose very clear. The unicorn stands in profile so you can easily see the shape of the body, the hooves and the long horn. Light shading suggests muscle and fur without making the image heavy, and the low hills and sky behind it are only gently drawn. He uses the same calm, almost textbook style in other mythical creatures like his basilisk, which makes them feel like they belong to the same small imagined world.
Craft & finish
This vintage unicorn 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.
Unicorn (Friedrich Justin Bertuch, 1806.) - Vintage Art Print
CARE INSTRUCTIONS: 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
