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William Curtis
Set of Three Engravings from Curtis's "Flora Londinensis" /// Botanical Flowers

1777

$900
£695.41
€803.96
CA$1,271.77
A$1,426.37
CHF 746.97
MX$17,331.78
NOK 9,485.24
SEK 8,992.67
DKK 6,001.10

About the Item

Artist: William Curtis (English, 1746-1799) Titles: "Epilobium Tetragonum (Square Stalked Willow Herb)" (Vol. 2, Plate 131), "Stellaria Holostea (The Greater Stitchwort)" Vol. 2, Plate ?), and "Atriplex Hastata (Spear-Leaved Orach)" (Vol. 2, Plate 118) Portfolio: Flora Londinensis: or Plates and Descriptions of Such Plants as Grow Wild in the Environs of London Year: 1777 (First edition) Medium: Set of Three Original Hand-Colored Engravings on watermarked laid paper Limited edition: Unknown Printer: Unknown, likely London, UK Publisher: William Curtis and B. White, London, UK Reference: Henrey No. 595; Hunt No. 650; Nissen BBI Bo. 440; Stafleu and Cowan No. 1286 Sheet size (each): approx. 18.5" x 11.5" Image size (each): approx. 14.25" x 8.5" Condition: "Stellaria Holostea (The Greater Stitchwort)" and "Atriplex Hastata (Spear-Leaved Orach)" have faint toning to their sheets. "Atriplex Hastata (Spear-Leaved Orach)" has some minor inherent creasing in the center of its sheet. Have been professionally stored away for decades. They are all otherwise in excellent condition with strong colors Notes: Comes from Curtis's two volume in six fascicules "Flora Londinensis", (1777-1798) (First edition), which consists of 432 hand-colored engravings. These works were engraved by English artists James Sowerby (1757-1822), Sydenham Edwards (1769-1819), and Irish artist William Kilburn (1745-1818), and others. Each work was printed in one color from on copper plate: black. "Epilobium Tetragonum (Square Stalked Willow Herb)" has a Jean Villedary "IV" watermark, and both "Stellaria Holostea (The Greater Stitchwort)" and "Atriplex Hastata (Spear-Leaved Orach)" have Strasbourg Bend "LVG" watermarks, all in the center of their sheets. Both "Stellaria Holostea (The Greater Stitchwort)" and "Atriplex Hastata (Spear-Leaved Orach)" come with their original accompanying text pages, one of which has a Strasbourg Bend "LVG" watermark as well. Biography: William Curtis (11 January 1746 - 7 July 1799) was an English botanist and entomologist, who was born at Alton, Hampshire, site of the Curtis Museum. Curtis began as an apothecary, before turning his attention to botany and other natural history. The publications he prepared reached a wider audience than early works on the subject had intended. At the age of 25 he produced Instructions for collecting and preserving insects; particularly moths and butterflies. Curtis was demonstrator of plants and Praefectus Horti at the Chelsea Physic Garden from 1771 to 1777. He established his own London Botanic Garden at Lambeth in 1779, moving to Brompton in 1789. He published "Flora Londinensis" (2 volumes of 6 fascicules, 1777–1798), a pioneering work in that it devoted itself to urban nature. Financial success was not found, but he went on the publish "The Botanical Magazine" in 1787, a work that would also feature hand coloured plates by artists such as James Sowerby and Sydenham Edwards. (William Kilburn is often erroneously cited as having contributed plates to Curtis's "Botanical Magazine". Though he did provide illustrations to "Flora Londinensis", his association with Curtis seems to have ended by 1777, 10 years before the first publication of "The Botanical Magazine"). Curtis was to gain wealth from the ventures into publishing, short sales on "Londinensis" were offset by over 3,000 copies of the magazine. Curtis said they had each brought 'pudding or praise'. The genus Curtisia is named in his honour. His publication was continued as the esteemed botanical publication, Curtis's Botanical Magazine. The noted natural history illustrators, James Sowerby and Sydenham Edwards both found a start with the eminent magazine. He was buried in the churchyard at St. Mary's Church, Battersea where he is commemorated in a stained glass window, as many of his samples were collected from the churchyard there.
  • Creator:
    William Curtis (1746 - 1799, American)
  • Creation Year:
    1777
  • Dimensions:
    Height: 18.5 in (46.99 cm)Width: 11.5 in (29.21 cm)
  • Medium:
  • Movement & Style:
  • Period:
    1770-1779
  • Condition:
  • Gallery Location:
    Saint Augustine, FL
  • Reference Number:
    1stDibs: LU121215013802

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