Twelve Months of Fruit: February

Unlike in books from the previous century, Furber’s etchings were colored by hand with watercolor in a realistic manner. The example to the left, which had not yet been painted, demonstrates the conceptual importance of color. Watercolor enhances the three-dimensional effect of each fruit and adds significant visual interest. Although these prints fulfilled a utilitarian purpose, their decorative quality was also appreciated: they were reissued in numerous editions from the 1730s through the 1750s.