Aftryk af blade 1833

Peter Larsen Kyhl made this print of leaves on paper sometime in the first half of the 19th century. Kyhl was working during a period when the natural sciences were becoming more specialized and professionalized. His leaf prints can be seen in the context of a growing interest in botany and the classification of plant life in Denmark. The image is rendered with scientific precision. The careful detailing of the leaves’ veins and serrated edges speaks to the artist’s concern with accurately capturing their form. But the print also reflects the culture of collecting and cataloging that was emerging at the time. Museums and universities were establishing collections of botanical specimens for study and display. To better understand Kyhl’s work, we need to know more about the institutional settings in which he worked and the scientific communities to which he belonged. By consulting historical archives and scientific publications, we can begin to reconstruct the social and intellectual world that shaped Kyhl’s artistic production.