Scarce 1812 Curtis Hand-Colored Botanical Engraving No. 1514 IRIS SPURIA

Description: Scarce 1812 Hand-Colored Copperplate Engraving from: T H EBOTANICAL MAGAZINEO RFlower-Garden Displayed By W I L L I A M C U R T I S [No. 1514] IRIS SPURIA ( Ɛ) DESERTORUM. SWEET-SCENTED BASTARD IRIS. From "The Botanical Magazine; or Flower-Garden Displayed" comes this original, copperplate engraving, a rare & sought-after early plate from the scarce early volumes. I'm listing a scarce grouping of some of the very best of the classic, early Curtis Irises. This one is likely a First Edition print, which are generally very rare. Appears to be printed on wove paper. The Publication: The "Botanical Magazine" was first published in 1787 by William Curtis (1746-1799). After William Curtis passed, the magazine was published by his brother, Thomas Curtis. Later, Samuel Curtis (a son-in-law of William Curtis) became proprietor from 1801 to 1845. The prints in the first volumes were copper plates colored by hand. Some of the later prints were lithographs.Some of the distinguished artists were Sydenham Edwards, John Curtis, William Jackson Hooker, W.H. Fitch, William Graves and Matilda Smith. These prints have a universal beauty and are a lasting documentary contribution to botanical studies. The Artist:Sydenham Teast (or Teak) Edwards (1768 – 1819) was a natural history illustrator. He illustrated plants, birds and importantly published an illustrated book on the breeds of dogs in Britain, Cynographia Britannica. Young Edwards had a precocious talent for draughtsmanship and when only 11 years old had copied plates from Flora Londinensis for his own enjoyment. A certain Mr. Denman visited Abergavenny in 1779 and saw some of Edwards' work. Denman, being a friend of William Curtis, the publisher of botanical works, and founder of the Curtis's Botanical Magazine, spoke to Curtis about the boy. Curtis proceeded to have Edwards trained in both botany and botanical illustration. Edwards produced plates at a prodigious rate: between 1787 and 1815 he produced over 1,700 watercolors for the Botanical Magazine alone. He illustrated Cynographia Britannica (1800) (an encyclopaedic compendium of dog breeds in Britain), New Botanic Garden (1805-7), New Flora Britannica (1812), and The Botanical Register (1815-19). Edwards established the latter under his own editorship in 1815 after a disagreement with John Sims, who succeeded Curtis as editor. He also provided drawings for encyclopedias such as Pantologia and Rees's Cyclopædia. He completed a number of parrot illustrations between 1810 and 1812 which were acquired by Edward Smith-Stanley, 13th Earl of Derby. Edwards was elected a Fellow of the Linnean Society in 1804. The Plate:The delicate drawing & coloring are quite stunning. It's a beautiful plate, full of the passion that the early flower painters, botanists & gardeners had for these amazing flowers, many of which were discovered in the pristine reaches of the ever-expanding British Empire & by intrepid explorers of the time.These gorgeously drawn, engraved & water-colored original prints were presented on their page with consistently balanced, beautiful compositions.Every part of these prints was made by hand: Hand drawn & engraved on Copper which was hand-mined, smelted & rolled, printed onto handmade cotton rag paper, inked & colored with hand-ground pigments individually by hand, & they were usually hand sewn into handmade leather-bound books.Condition: Appears to be in excellent condition with characteristic light age-toning to the paper. The hand-coloring appears to remain sharp & brilliant as the day it was painted.These prints are very old & may have minor imperfections expected with age, such as some typical age-toning of the paper, oxidation of the old original watercolors, spots, text-offsetting, artifacts from having been bound into a book, etc. Please examine the photos & details carefully.Text Page(s): This one comes with its original text page. Included in the photos is a scan of a sample title page from a Curtis volume, it's for reference & isn't part of the listing. About this Gorgeous Flower:Iris spuria, or blue flag, is a species of the genus Iris, part of the subgenus Limniris and the series Spuriae. It is a rhizomatous perennial plant, from Europe, Asia and Africa. It has purple or lilac flowers, and slender, elongated leaves.It is widely cultivated as an ornamental plant in temperate regions and hybridized for use in the garden. It has several subspecies.This one may be what's now called Iris spuria subsp. musulmanica.Size: 5 x 9-1/2" inches approximately.Shipping: Multiple prints combine into one USPS Flat-Rate envelope. If you're assessed multiple shipping for one combined package, we'll endeavor to refund any overage asap. Thanks for Visiting!

Price: 79 USD

Location: Great Barrington, Massachusetts

End Time: 2024-10-11T18:07:02.000Z

Shipping Cost: 8.95 USD