719 Elias Fries - Antique Mushroom Print - Pheasant's Back Mushroom

This magnificent chromolithograph is from the Elias Fries ”Sveriges ätliga och giftiga svampar” (Sweden's Edible and Poisonous Mushrooms). The work was published by the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences in Stockholm between 1860 and 1866. 

Elias Fries, often called the "father of mycology," published several groundbreaking works on fungi during the first half of the 19th century. "Sveriges ätliga och giftiga svampar" was published by the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences and P. A. Norstedt & Sons, reflecting its dual purpose as both scientifically accurate and educational, focusing on the use of mushrooms. It was released over seven years in ten separate installments. The colorful plates were executed in chromolithography by A. J. Salmson based on drawings by Elias Pettersson and Petter Åkerlund.

Artist or Maker

Elias Fries

Medium

Chromolithography

Date

1860-1866