Princess Apple - Botanical poster 50x70cm

Malus princeps - Princess Apple

In 1809, this apple made its debut in the Luxembourg nursery catalog under the name "Princesse noble," as if not all princesses were noble, Poiteau ironically remarks.

Unknown to Duhamel, this variety nevertheless established itself as one of the best Reinette apples, unjustly uncommon. Its bark cracks early, a singular trait that distinguishes it from all other apple trees, while its golden-yellow fruit, streaked with red, offers a fine and excellent flesh, to be consumed from October to January.

The tree is of modest size and irregular habit. Its vigorous, ash-colored, geniculate buds are marked with large grey spots.

The oval leaves taper to a point, bordered with double-serrated teeth, dark green on top, pale and hairy underneath.

The flowers, about 40 millimeters wide, display oval petals tinged with pink. The fruit, medium-sized, has a thin skin that easily separates from the flesh: yellow on the shaded side, it becomes covered with red streaks on the sunny side, then gradually washes with the same color, dotted with irregular brown spots and lines.

The yellowish-white flesh is fine and excellent, with little but sweet and pleasant juice. The locules contain numerous aborted seeds; those that persist are long, compressed, brown, turning linen grey upon desiccation. This exceptional apple ripens in October and keeps until January.

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 of the golden age of botanical illustration.

• Each poster is printed using 12-color Giclée printing, the benchmark for art studios for rendering fine tones, subtle gradients, and the most delicate botanical details.
• 200 gsm paper, soft matte finish, 0.26 mm thickness: a result close to the original engraving, clear, glare-free, designed for hanging.
• Printed on FSC certified paper, produced individually to order.
• Shipped in a rigid protective tube.