Hans Walty

Hans Walty
Hans Walty (1868-1948), Swiss, Hans Walty is a Swiss artist, an enigmatic figure in the world of art. Very little reliable biographical information is available, and much of their creative journey remains lost to time.
Their surviving works speak in quiet tones — suggestive, poetic, and shrouded in mystery.
  • Lycoperdon enchinatum (1915-1945)

    Lycoperdon enchinatum (1915-1945)

    Hans Walty (Swiss, 1868-1948)

    Spiny, globular, and strangely delicate—this fungus emerges from the page with precise, almost scientific detail. The engraving’s fine lines trace each bristling protrusion, transforming a humble puffball into something alien yet familiar.

  • Boletus bulbosus (1915-1945)

    Boletus bulbosus (1915-1945)

    Hans Walty (Swiss, 1868-1948)

    A bulbous mushroom rises from the page, its gills precise as folded paper. The stem curves slightly, weighted by the cap’s dark underside. Every line is deliberate, as if the fungus pressed itself into the paper to be studied.

  • Collybia maculata, Schw (1915-1945)

    Collybia maculata, Schw (1915-1945)

    Hans Walty (Swiss, 1868-1948)

    Delicate gills fan out beneath the spotted cap, each line etched with precision. The fungus stands solitary, its stem slightly curved as if caught mid-growth. Shadows pool around its base, lending weight to the fragile form. A quiet study of texture and decay, rendered in stark black and white.

  • Phlegmacium praestans Cord. (1915-1945)

    Phlegmacium praestans Cord. (1915-1945)

    Hans Walty (Swiss, 1868-1948)

    Delicate gills fan out beneath a smooth, tawny cap—this fungus stands poised between decay and elegance. Its precise lines reveal nature’s quiet craftsmanship, each detail a testament to life’s fleeting beauty. Here, science and art blur into something quietly mesmerizing.

  • Armillaria aurantia Schäff. Quél. (1915-1945)

    Armillaria aurantia Schäff. Quél. (1915-1945)

    Hans Walty (Swiss, 1868-1948)

    Golden-orange fungi cluster on the page, their gilled caps delicate yet bold against the stark white background. Each stem twists with lifelike precision, as if freshly plucked from damp forest soil. The engraving’s fine lines reveal every rib and curve, turning decay into something strangely elegant.

  • Morchella elata (1915-1945)

    Morchella elata (1915-1945)

    Hans Walty (Swiss, 1868-1948)

    Delicate ridges spiral upward, forming a honeycombed cap. The Morchella elata stands poised, its hollow stem anchoring it to unseen earth. Shadows pool in the fungus’s crevices, hinting at damp forest floors where such specimens emerge unseen. A study in texture, each groove precise yet organic.

  • Morchella esculenta L. (Pers.) (1915-1945)

    Morchella esculenta L. (Pers.) (1915-1945)

    Hans Walty (Swiss, 1868-1948)

    Delicate folds of the Morchella esculenta rise from the page, their honeycombed caps catching an unseen light. Each hollow and ridge is rendered with such precision you might mistake the paper for damp forest soil. A single spore seems poised to drift from the gnarled stem.

  • Boletus felleus Bull., Thylopilus felleus Fr. (1915-1945)

    Boletus felleus Bull., Thylopilus felleus Fr. (1915-1945)

    Hans Walty (Swiss, 1868-1948)

    The bitter bolete rises from damp earth, its spongy underside and smooth cap rendered with clinical precision. Each line traces the fungus’s deceptive beauty—edible in appearance, yet unpalatably acrid to taste. A study in contrasts, where scientific accuracy meets nature’s quiet trickery.

  • Boletus pinicola Venturi, Vittadini (1915-1945)

    Boletus pinicola Venturi, Vittadini (1915-1945)

    Hans Walty (Swiss, 1868-1948)

    The Boletus mushroom rises from the page, gills exposed like delicate pleats. Crosshatched shadows cling to its stem, grounding it in some unseen forest floor. The engraving’s precision makes the specimen almost tangible—you could pluck it straight from the paper.