Studies of the trunk, blossoms and fruit of a wild apple tree (Malus sylvestris)

Studies of the trunk, blossoms and fruit of a wild apple tree (Malus sylvestris)

Ludwig Pfleger

An item at Metropolitan Museum of Art

This drawing is part of a group of four studies of wood species donated to the Museum by Mrs. Wrightsman. They were created by Ludwig Pfleger (1720–1793) who seems to have specialized in still-life scenes and studies after nature. Very little is known about his education and early career. Ludwig's father, Franz Pfleger (? -1737), was employed by Sybilla Augusta, countess of Baden-Baden, as artistic director of Schloss Favorite at Rastatt. In this capacity he designed, amongst others, the gardens of the pleasure palace and it may have been the horticultural work which inspired his young son Franz's inclination towards nature as a subject. The detailed studies of wood species and their various identifying characteristics (bark, grain, leaves, blossom and seeds) date from later in his career, and relate to the upcoming encyclopedic efforts to chart and reproduce native and foreign wood species. A contemporary example can be found in Johann Michael Seligmann’s (1720–1762) "Icones Lignorum", published between 1773-1777, which is lavishly illustrated with highly detailed hand-colored engravings. Such illustrations formed important sources for cabinetmakers and their clients to identify and choose specific wood types for marquetry and pieces of furniture.

Drawings and Prints

An exhibit at Metropolitan Museum of Art

Studies of the trunk, blossoms and fruit of a wild apple tree (Malus sylvestris)Studies of the trunk, blossoms and fruit of a wild apple tree (Malus sylvestris)Studies of the trunk, blossoms and fruit of a wild apple tree (Malus sylvestris)Studies of the trunk, blossoms and fruit of a wild apple tree (Malus sylvestris)Studies of the trunk, blossoms and fruit of a wild apple tree (Malus sylvestris)

The Department’s vast collection of works on paper comprises approximately 21,000 drawings, 1.2 million prints, and 12,000 illustrated books created in Europe and the Americas from about 1400 to the present day. Since its foundation in 1916, the Department has been committed to collecting a wide range of works on paper, which includes both pieces that are incredibly rare and lauded for their aesthetic appeal, as well as material that is more popular, functional, and ephemeral. The broad scope of the department’s collecting encourages questions of connoisseurship as well as those pertaining to function and context, and demonstrates the vital role that prints, drawings, and illustrated books have played throughout history.