Karl Blossfeldt: (vintage gelatin silver workprint) Fiddlehead and Screwtree, 1930
Karl Blossfeldt Vintage Printing Plate 27 Fern Frond and Helicteres isora Pods 1930
Product Description
A vintage silver gelatin printing plate from the rare 1930 American portfolio edition titled First Forms of Art: Examples from the Living Plant World, published by H. C. Perleberg. Highly celebrated by the Surrealists and early modernists, Karl Blossfeldt 1865–1932 used a custom-built camera capable of magnifying organic specimens up to thirty times. This technique exposed hidden microscopic patterns and structures that transformed everyday flora into severe avant-garde architectural sculptures.
This large-format double-sided portfolio plate preserves the precise layout for Plate 27 of the collection. The composition beautifully juxtaposes the graphic, spiral curl of a young unfolding Fern Frond (fiddlehead structure) on the left with a detailed study of three tightly twisted pods of Helicteres isora (commonly known as the Screw Tree) on the right. Issued in limited numbers for American design institutions and academies, these original 1930 Perleberg plates are significantly scarcer than standard European bookplate photogravures. This item represents an authentic piece of photographic history, sourced from Book Beat’s celebrated backroom gallery collection.
Key Specifications and Identifiers
- Artist: Karl Blossfeldt German 1865–1932
- Title: Plate 27 from First Forms of Art: Examples from the Living Plant World (H. C. Perleberg, Philadelphia, 1930)
- Price: \$450
- Subject Left: Unfolding Fern Frond (Fiddlehead / Crosier)
- Subject Right: Helicteres isora (Screw Tree / Twisted Pods)
- Medium: Vintage Silver Gelatin Printing Plate / Double-Sided Portfolio Sheet
- Paper Size: Large format measuring 10.5 by 13.5 inches approx 26.7 cm by 34.3 cm
- Markings: Identification layout markings visible within the image margins (Roman numeral II centered above the fern frame, 27. printed at the top-right corner of the pod frame)
- Condition: Good vintage condition with strong contrast tones. The print displays a stable photographic surface with a light amount of silver oxidation and minor edge light fading restricted to the outer boundary margins.
About the Artist
Karl Blossfeldt 1865–1932 was a German sculptor, draftsman, and professor who spent his career teaching at the Royal School of the Museum of Decorative Arts in Berlin. He created thousands of close-up botanical photographs over three decades to serve as literal objective models for his design students. His work became a cornerstone of the New Objectivity movement, celebrated for revealing the structural engineering inherent in natural forms.
$ 450.00
