Dr. Robert John Thornton's Temple of Flora

Folio Edition

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Prints from Dr. Robert John Thornton's Temple of Flora. London: R. J. Thornton, [1799]-1807. Folios; ca. 18 x 14. Mixed medium; often employing mezzotint, aquatint, etching and line engraving on a single plate. Printed with color and finished by hand. All in very good condition.

Dramatic prints from Dr. Thornton's justifiably famous Temple of Flora. Designed as a grand tribute to the Swedish botanist, Linnæus, this presentation of large sized floral prints is considered by many to be the most magnificent such work ever produced. Each print was the result of a mixture of elaborate engraving processes. They were first printed in color and then finished by hand, making it one of the earliest works to use this method. The prints have a bold, dramatic impact unlike any other, the result of not only the superb engraving and coloring, but also Thornton's use of 'classical' landscapes in the backgrounds.

Reinagle. "The Superb Lily." 1799. Mezzotint and aquatint by Earlom. Plate B. $5,300
Reinagle and Pether. "The Night-Blowing Cereus." 1800. Mezzotint by Dunkarton. Plate B. On paper watermarked 1794. $9,500
Henderson. "The Dragon Arum." 1801. Mezzotint by Ward. Faint, old mat stain. State I of IV. $2,800
Cosway. "Flora dispensing Her Favours on the Earth." 1807. Aquatint by T. Woolnoth. $875

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