Black Muscat Grape

Vitis moschata nigra, Black Muscat Grape

Less famous than its white and red cousins, the Black Muscat stands out for a fineness and delicacy that captivated 19th-century botanists. Introduced to France from the Po Valley, this southern grape variety was welcomed into the collections of the Luxembourg nursery for its remarkable qualities: easier ripening and a subtle musky fragrance, without the exuberance of other muscats.

This plate precisely illustrates the deep black berries veiled with white bloom, revealing the virtuosity of naturalistic illustrators in rendering textures and nuances.

The Black Muscat is recognized by its slender clusters, about 25 centimeters long, with slightly elongated berries covered with a characteristic dull white bloom. Its berries measure 16 to 18 millimeters in height, with thin, tender skin, containing greenish flesh and one to two teardrop-shaped seeds.

The light green foliage has shallow lobes bordered with large sharp teeth, the underside almost hairless, bearing only a few short hairs along the veins. The cylindrical petiole, speckled with black, retains its light color. This grape variety is distinguished by its less pronounced fragrance than that of white and red muscats, but compensated by a superior aromatic fineness that makes it precious for discerning connoisseurs.

This plate is taken from the Traité des Arbres Fruitiers by Pierre-Antoine Poiteau and Pierre Jean François Turpin, a botanical encyclopedia published between 1807 and 1835, a major reference in 19th-century naturalistic illustration.

It combines the rigor of scientific drawing with a rare artistic sensibility, characteristic of the great plates from the golden age of illustrated botany.