Cyperus species 1

Luigi Balugani prints come from one of the great adventures of 18th-century exploration. Balugani, a young draughtsman from Bologna, travelled with the Scottish explorer James Bruce on his journey towards the source of the Nile, drawing the plants and animals of Ethiopia along the way. Our collection of fine art prints includes his drawings of coffee, wild banana, jasmine and papyrus, birds, fish and the caracal, plus his studies of the temples at Paestum.

About Luigi Balugani

Luigi Balugani was born in Bologna on 14 January 1737. Trained as a draughtsman, he joined the Scottish traveller James Bruce of Kinnaird as his artist, and took part in Bruce's expedition of the 1760s. Most of what is known about his life with Bruce comes from surviving letters.

Balugani drew the people, buildings, plants and animals the expedition encountered, travelling through North Africa and into Ethiopia (then called Abyssinia). He died at Gondar, the Ethiopian capital, around 1770; some sources give 1771.

Bruce later published his travels, and for many years Balugani's contribution was overlooked, with many of the drawings credited to Bruce himself. In 1991 the Yale Center for British Art published Luigi Balugani's Drawings of African Plants, edited by Paul Hulton, F. Nigel Hepper and I. B. Friis, reproducing the drawings in Yale's collection.

Style and Subjects

Balugani's natural history drawings are precise and elegant, in the tradition of European botanical illustration. Plants are shown with leaves, flowers and fruit carefully laid out on the page, often as "finished drawings" in watercolour, while birds and animals are drawn in clear profile with careful attention to colour and markings.

His architectural studies, such as the temples of Paestum in southern Italy, show his training as a draughtsman of buildings, with crisp lines and measured perspective.

Famous Works

• Coffea arabica (Arabica Coffee): Finished Drawing of Leafy Shoot and Berries, Yale Center for British Art. Coffee from its Ethiopian homeland.
• Ensete ventricosum (African Wild Banana), Yale Center for British Art. The giant false banana of the Ethiopian highlands.
• Jasminum abyssinicum (Ethiopian Jasmine), Yale Center for British Art. A finished drawing of the native jasmine.
• Cyperus papyrus (Papyrus Sedge), Yale Center for British Art. The papyrus plant of the Nile.
• Albizia gummifera (Gummy Albizia Tree), Yale Center for British Art. A flowering African tree.
• Caracal caracal (Desert Lynx). The wild cat with long black ear tufts.
• Paestum, 3rd Period. A study of the ancient Greek temples in southern Italy.

Decorating with Balugani Prints

Balugani's plant drawings suit a kitchen, dining room or garden room, and the coffee plant is a natural choice for a coffee corner or café-style kitchen. Hang several botanical sheets in a grid for a calm, natural look.

The caracal, birds and fish bring character to a study or hallway, and the Paestum temples suit a library or classical interior. Thin wood or gold frames with a cream mat suit the 18th-century drawings.

FAQ

Who was Luigi Balugani?

Luigi Balugani (1737–1770) was an Italian draughtsman from Bologna who travelled with the Scottish explorer James Bruce and drew the plants and animals of Ethiopia.

What expedition did Balugani join?

James Bruce's journey of the 1760s through North Africa into Ethiopia, in search of the source of the Nile.

Where did Balugani die?

At Gondar in Ethiopia, around 1770. Some sources give 1771.

Where are Balugani's drawings?

The Yale Center for British Art holds a large group of them, many from the Bruce archive. Some are catalogued as after or formerly attributed to James Bruce.

Is there a book of Balugani's drawings?

Yes. Luigi Balugani's Drawings of African Plants, edited by Paul Hulton, F. Nigel Hepper and I. B. Friis, was published by the Yale Center for British Art in 1991.

Related Artists

• Georg Dionysius Ehret: the leading botanical artist of the same century