Lot 235
Society of Gardeners
Rare Books, Manuscripts, Maps & Photographs
Auction: 28 January 2015 at 11:00 GMT
Description
Catalogus plantarum... a catalogue of trees, shrubs, plants, and flowers, both exotic and domestic... London: 1730. Folio, engraved frontispiece, 21 coloured plates, 18 after Jacob van Huysum, original grey/blue boards rebacked onto modern card with modern card spine, some occasional light dampstaining, final plate a little damaged and repaired [Hunt 485, ESTC T103712]
Footnote
Note: "The Catalogus plantarum is notable as one of the earliest flower books to contain plates printed in colours. It is perhaps unique in that one third of its plates are so printed, in mezzotint from a single plate, while two thirds are engraved and handcoloured in the usual way...The seven 'mezzotints' are printed mainly in green and brown, with some small use of a third or fourth colour. Presumably all this was done through dabbing the colours on a single plate; but it should still be noted that Kirkall, the engraver, had previously experimented with woodblocks for laying on the second and third colours..." [Hunt, pp.136-7] This is the first of a planned three or four volume set, which would have been a broader catalogue of 'Trees, Shrubs, Plants and Flowers', however this was the only volume to be produced.