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[ Besler | Blackwell | Currier & Ives | Ehret | Grandville | Hooker | Merian | Poiteau | Pomologie Belge | Redouté | Thornton | Volckamer ]
[ Selection of miscellaneous botanical prints ]
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Richard Corbould. "Botany." From Encyclopædia Londinensis or, Universal dictionary of arts, sciences, and literature. London: J. Wilkes, March 1, 1805. Ca. 10 x 7. Stipple engraving with some line work, by J. Chapman . Hand color. With light sticker mark in bottom margin. Very good condition.
In the era of Enlightenment, books of knowledge, like Encyclopædia Londinensis, took on a new importance and nobility in the scope of book publishing. Organized by printer, bookseller, and stationer John Wilkes (1750-1810, of Milland House, Sussex), the detailed, informative work reflects his experience as a newspaper proprietor and co-head of the British Directory Office. Fine artists like Richard Corbould were employed to draw allegorical prints to embellish the volumes. Though Wilkes died in 1810, publication of the Encyclopædia continued until around 1829 in London. Exalting the pursuit of knowledge, its allegorical prints draw on neo-Classical vocabulary to confer nobility on the studies of the arts and sciences, such as geography, botany, painting, and others. In classically-draped garments, female figures pose amid Roman architecture and artifact, employing the tools of investigation specific to their discipline. Along with its finely-rendered botanical illustrations, scientific diagrams, and detailed maps, these allegories made Encyclopædia Londinensis an extraordinary work of aesthetics and education. This allegory represents the science of botany. $250
Pear prints by George Brookshaw. From Pomona Britannica, or, a Collection of the Most Esteemed Fruits at Present Cultivated in this Country.... London: T. Bensley, [1804-] 1812. Large folio. Aquatint. Partially printed in color and finished by hand. Very good condition. Framed. Denver.
A pair of spectacular pear prints from the celebrated series of fruit prints from an ambitious work by George Brookshaw. Brookshaw's self-proclaimed intention was to "excite in gentlemen themselves a predominant turn and ardour for horticultural pursuits; so that...they may in every instance be able to judge for themselves and to direct...their own gardeners and labourers, instead of being, as they too generally are, the sport of their ignorant pretensions." To this end he illustrated some 256 varieties of fruit, taken from specimens from the Royal Gardens at Hampton Court, as well as the garden of the Princess of Wales at Blackheath, and several others. The result is an unrivaled production of richly textured peaches, pears, grapes, etc., set against often dark and velvety deep brown and black backgrounds. These prints were done in the heyday of printmaking in London, when aquatints in particular were a fine art. What gives them their enduring prestige is the readily apparent talent and concern that went into their making, leaving us some of the most exciting botanical prints ever created.
This is a group of rare and fetching prints from an unusual eighteenth-century compendium of plant and animal life. John Frederick Miller, the fine botanical artist, worked from the latest information about exotic specimens supplied to him by Sir Joseph Banks, one of the key figures in English natural history circles. Miller painted and engraved these botanical and zoological subjects, which in many cases are the first illustrations of the species. The descriptive text is also of historical importance, as it is the work of George Shaw, founder member of the Linnæan Society. These prints are almost unsurpassed for their winning subjects, imaginatively arranged into large scale and beautifully colored compositions. The birds nestled into tree branches, the quadrupeds pictured beside detailed renderings of their heads, along with the most enticing of botanicals, all exhibit the wonderful character and exuberance that make the prints of this period so special.
Go to page with Miller's prints of birds and animals from this series
George Frauenberger. "Bouquet of Flowers from Briggs & Brother, Seedsmen, Rochester, N.Y. 1871." Buffalo: Clay, Cosack & Co., 1871. 21 7/8 x 16 1/4. Chromolithograph by Clay, Cosack & Co. Image trimmed at right. Short tears at right and chip at top center, expertly repaired. None affecting image of bouquet. Else, very good condition.
A handsome Victorian era flower seed advertisement, in the tradition of Robert Furber's 18th century engravings of flowers for each month of the year. This image shows 43 different varieties of flowers, with a subtly listed key in the shadow along the lower left of the image. Perhaps most prominent is number 43, the Dahlia zinnia, the large yellow blossom at almost dead center. The ensemble includes Ageratum, Amaranthus, Aster, Balsam, Carnation, Delphinium, Dianthus, Gladiolus, Marigold, Pansy, Phlox, Sweet Pea, Tuberose and Verbena, among others. The printing method of chromolithography which was coming into popularity at this time made possible this richly hued type of advertising. A fine and decorative piece. $575
"A Flower Basket." New York: Currier & Ives, 1872. Lithograph. Original hand color. Small folio. 8 1/2 x 12 1/2. Some light toning to paper, but very good condition. Cf. C:2038.
Nathaniel Currier, and then Currier & Ives, issued many separately-issued botanical prints, intended to be framed and hung as decoration in Victorian American homes. This is a nice example of their output. $450
Go to list of other Currier & Ives botanical prints.
Ellen Robbins was a watercolorist and art teacher born in Watertown, Massachusetts in 1828, and died in 1905 in Boston. Robbins was mostly self-taught and she specialized in paintings of flowers and other still lives. She often painted on the Island of Shoals, off the New Hampshire coast, where she was able to visit the garden and home of the poet Celia Thaxter. She achieved considerable attention for her watercolors of autumn leaves, which she often put together into bound albums for sale. Later she advertised in Boston newspapers as "Miss Robbins' Flower and Autumn Leaf Painting Classes." Her watercolors achieved even further recognition when Louis Prang issued a number of chromolithographs based on them.
The China trade has captured the attention of European and American connoisseurs and collectors for the last two centuries. The traffic in porcelain, lacquered furniture, carvings and works on silk are best known to us today. In comparison, there has been less of an awareness of the varied work in the graphic arts that was also part of this commerce. This example of magnificent graphic work is not only beautiful to behold, but also of keen interest to the history of science. These exquisite and beautiful watercolor drawings were done by an unknown Chinese artist in the early 19th century. This is an early date for America's China trade, which ran from approximately 1790 to 1890. The elegant handling of the flowers and the calligraphic expertise are unmistakably Chinese. This fine image portrays a camellia stalk with a bud and two blossoms, with foliage, over which hover two different types of butterflies. A delightful natural history image. $2,600
Woodcut of Chrysanthemum. Japanese. Date unknown. Woodblock. 12 1/2 x 8 1/4. Very good condition.
A beautiful and delicate depiction of a chrysanthemum. The flower was introduced to Japan around the eight century from China. So taken were the Japanese with the flower that they adopted a single flowered chrysanthemum as the crest and official seal of the Emperor. They also, developed Kiku, which is the art of meticulously cultivating chrysanthemums. $275
Paul Crillon Barton. "Arthemis Cotula." [Wild Chamomile]. From Vegetable Materia Medica of the Unites States or Medical Botany, containing a botanical, general and medical history of medicinal plants indigenous to the United States. Philadelphia: M Carey and Son, 1817-18. Quarto. Engravings by Tanner, Vallance Kearney & Co. Fine condition. Rare.
William P.C. Barton (1786-1856) published a highly ambitious treatise on the medical vegetables and plants of the United States in 1817. Barton was a former student of the naturalist Benjamin Smith Barton. The illustrations in Vegetable Materia Medica were engraved after drawings by the author and were later hand-painted by Barton and others. Some copies were left partially or totally uncolored. Barton, a botanist, naval surgeon, and professor at the American Medical College in Philadelphia, sought to promote "the advancement of national science" by encouraging Americans to examine and describe the botany of their own William country, rather than leaving it to European naturalists. Theses rare prints are indeed beautifully engraved and colored. This series as a whole is one of the earliest and most important American color plate books. $250
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Go to page with reference books on botanical illustration
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