Nepenthes northiana - Marianne North
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Description
A detailed botanical study of the Nepenthes northiana pitcher plant, painted by Marianne North during her travels in Borneo in 1876.
Marianne North was a prolific Victorian traveller and painter who documented flora across the globe. This work depicts the Nepenthes northiana, a carnivorous pitcher plant native to Borneo. North discovered this species in Sarawak in 1876, and it was subsequently named in her honour by the botanist Joseph Dalton Hooker. The painting captures the distinct morphology of the plant, focusing on the large, mottled pitchers that serve as traps for insects.
North worked primarily in oil on board, a choice that allowed her to capture the specific textures and colours of her subjects while travelling in challenging environments. Her approach was direct and observational, prioritising scientific accuracy over the decorative conventions of the period. The composition places the pitchers in the foreground, with a suggestion of the Bornean forest and mountains in the distance. This juxtaposition provides a sense of the plant's natural habitat while maintaining a clear focus on its biological features.
Unlike many of her contemporaries who worked from dried specimens in studios, North painted her subjects in situ. This method allowed her to record the living form, including the subtle gradations of green, yellow, and red on the pitcher walls. The fine hairs along the edges and the structure of the tendrils are rendered with precision. Her collection of over 800 paintings, housed in a dedicated gallery at the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, remains a significant record of nineteenth-century plant life. This print reproduces the clarity and colour fidelity of the original board, offering a view into the scientific curiosity that defined North's career.
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Each print is produced to order using 12-colour giclée printing on FSC-certified archival paper. Designed in Britain and printed at your nearest production hub to reduce waste and speed up delivery.
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Specific Features
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Materials & Sizing
Museum-grade giclée on FSC-certified archival matte paper, with framed and canvas options.
- Paper sizes: A4, A3, A2, A1, A0 and B2 (50×70 cm)
- Canvas: XS (20×30 cm) to Large (60×90 cm)
- Frames: black, natural wood, dark wood or white
Nepenthes northiana - Marianne North
Artist Biography
Marianne North
She was born in 1830 into a wealthy Norfolk family. Her father was an MP. She trained as a singer, but her voice failed and she turned to painting. She was devoted to her father and travelled with him until his death in 1869, which freed her to go further.
She painted plants in oils, not watercolours, and she painted them in situ within their habitats, including animals, people, and temples. In Borneo she painted a pitcher plant unknown to science, which was named Nepenthes northiana in her honour. Charles Darwin personally suggested she visit Australia. She completed 848 paintings in thirteen years, donated 832 to Kew Gardens, and paid for the gallery to house them herself. The Marianne North Gallery at Kew remains the only permanent solo exhibition in a major UK institution. She died in 1890.
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