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William Curtis Art

American, 1746-1799
The 18th century saw an intersection of science and art, especially where it came to botanicals. Artists who had formerly devoted their practice to unique oil paintings of flowers now engaged the media of illustration, as an interest in cataloging flora grew and subscription publications began to thrive. Scientists also crossed the divide, delving into etching, and curating artists and works for issues of botanical magazines. William Curtis was one such botanist. For 13 volumes, Curtis engaged the artistic expertise of dozens of botanical artists to illustrate published guides on plants, beginning in 1787. The hundreds of hand-etched, hand-colored plates are actually unattributed, meaning we don’t see a particular artists’ name or signature, though we know that William Curtis commissioned and curated them. These handmade prints are now treated as individual, collectible works in themselves.
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Set of Four 18th Century Hand Colored Botanical Prints of Flowers by W. Curtis
Set of Four 18th Century Hand Colored Botanical Prints of Flowers by W. Curtis

Set of Four 18th Century Hand Colored Botanical Prints of Flowers by W. Curtis

By William Curtis

Located in Stamford, CT

Four late 18th/early 19th century hand colored botanical prints by William Curtis, originally published in London, 1795. The four slender and delicate flowers shown in full bloom, b...

Category

Late 18th Century English Neoclassical Antique William Curtis Art

Materials

Paper

Set of Six Hand-Colored Engravings from Curtis's Botanical Magazine /// Botany
Set of Six Hand-Colored Engravings from Curtis's Botanical Magazine /// Botany

Set of Six Hand-Colored Engravings from Curtis's Botanical Magazine /// Botany

By William Curtis

Located in Saint Augustine, FL

Artist: William Curtis (English, 1746-1799) Title: Set of Six Hand-Colored Engravings Portfolio: The Botanical Magazine; or, Flower-Garden Displayed Year: 1800-1810 (First-second ser...

Category

Early 1800s Victorian William Curtis Art

Materials

Watercolor, Engraving, Intaglio

Soldanella Alpina Alpine Soldanella /// English Botanical Flower Engraving Print
Soldanella Alpina Alpine Soldanella /// English Botanical Flower Engraving Print

Soldanella Alpina Alpine Soldanella /// English Botanical Flower Engraving Print

By William Curtis

Located in Saint Augustine, FL

Artist: William Curtis (English, 1746-1799) Title: "Soldanella Alpina Alpine Soldanella" (Vol. 2, Plate 49) Portfolio: The Botanical Magazine; or, Flower-Garden Displayed Year: 1788 ...

Category

1780s Victorian William Curtis Art

Materials

Watercolor, Laid Paper, Engraving, Intaglio

Set of Six Hand-Colored Engravings from Curtis's Botanical Magazine /// Botany
Set of Six Hand-Colored Engravings from Curtis's Botanical Magazine /// Botany

Set of Six Hand-Colored Engravings from Curtis's Botanical Magazine /// Botany

By William Curtis

Located in Saint Augustine, FL

Artist: William Curtis (English, 1746-1799) Title: Set of Six Hand-Colored Engravings Portfolio: The Botanical Magazine; or, Flower-Garden Displayed Year: 1794-1812 (First-second ser...

Category

1790s Victorian William Curtis Art

Materials

Watercolor, Engraving, Intaglio

Set of Six Hand-Colored Engravings from Curtis's Botanical Magazine /// Botany
Set of Six Hand-Colored Engravings from Curtis's Botanical Magazine /// Botany

Set of Six Hand-Colored Engravings from Curtis's Botanical Magazine /// Botany

By William Curtis

Located in Saint Augustine, FL

Artist: William Curtis (English, 1746-1799) Title: Set of Six Hand-Colored Engravings Portfolio: The Botanical Magazine; or, Flower-Garden Displayed Year: 1800-1815 (First-second ser...

Category

Early 1800s Victorian William Curtis Art

Materials

Watercolor, Engraving, Intaglio

Set of Six Hand-Colored Engravings from Curtis's Botanical Magazine /// Botany
Set of Six Hand-Colored Engravings from Curtis's Botanical Magazine /// Botany

Set of Six Hand-Colored Engravings from Curtis's Botanical Magazine /// Botany

By William Curtis

Located in Saint Augustine, FL

Artist: William Curtis (English, 1746-1799) Title: Set of Six Hand-Colored Engravings Portfolio: The Botanical Magazine; or, Flower-Garden Displayed Year: 1796-1829 (First-third seri...

Category

1790s Victorian William Curtis Art

Materials

Watercolor, Engraving, Intaglio

Flowering Air Plant: A 19th Century Hand-colored Engraving by William Curtis
Flowering Air Plant: A 19th Century Hand-colored Engraving by William Curtis

Flowering Air Plant: A 19th Century Hand-colored Engraving by William Curtis

By William Curtis

Located in Alamo, CA

This early 19th century hand-colored double fold-out botanical engraving is entitled "Pendulous-flowered Bryophyllum", plate 1409, published in London in 1809 in William Curtis’s 'The Botanical Magazine, or Flower-Garden Displayed'. Bryophyllum pinnatum, also known as the air plant...

Category

Early 1800s Naturalistic William Curtis Art

Materials

Engraving

Set of Six Hand-Colored Engravings from Curtis's Botanical Magazine /// Botany
Set of Six Hand-Colored Engravings from Curtis's Botanical Magazine /// Botany

Set of Six Hand-Colored Engravings from Curtis's Botanical Magazine /// Botany

By William Curtis

Located in Saint Augustine, FL

Artist: William Curtis (English, 1746-1799) Title: Set of Six Hand-Colored Engravings Portfolio: The Botanical Magazine; or, Flower-Garden Displayed Year: 1801-1809 (Second series) M...

Category

Early 1800s Victorian William Curtis Art

Materials

Watercolor, Engraving, Intaglio

Panicum sanguinale, from "Flora Londinensis..."
Panicum sanguinale, from "Flora Londinensis..."

Panicum sanguinale, from "Flora Londinensis..."

By William Curtis

Located in Houston, TX

Antique hand colored engraving of grass or Panicum Sanguinale by W.Curtis, circa 1820. Artwork was intended to be actual size of specimen. Original artwork on paper displayed on a w...

Category

1820s William Curtis Art

Materials

Engraving, Watercolor, Archival Paper

Set of Six Hand-Colored Engravings from Curtis's Botanical Magazine /// Botany
Set of Six Hand-Colored Engravings from Curtis's Botanical Magazine /// Botany

Set of Six Hand-Colored Engravings from Curtis's Botanical Magazine /// Botany

By William Curtis

Located in Saint Augustine, FL

Artist: William Curtis (English, 1746-1799) Title: Set of Six Hand-Colored Engravings Portfolio: The Botanical Magazine; or, Flower-Garden Displayed Year: 1803-1819 (Second series) M...

Category

Early 1800s Victorian William Curtis Art

Materials

Watercolor, Engraving, Intaglio

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

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

By William Curtis

Located in Saint Augustine, FL

Artist: William Curtis (English, 1746-1799) Titles: "Epilobium Tetragonum (Square Stalked Willow Herb)" (Vol. 2, Plate 131), "Stellaria Holostea (The Greater Stitchwort)" Vol. 2, Pla...

Category

1770s Old Masters William Curtis Art

Materials

Watercolor, Laid Paper, Engraving, Intaglio

Boxthorn Japanese, Lyciym japonicum Plate 361

Boxthorn Japanese, Lyciym japonicum Plate 361

By William Curtis

Located in Columbia, MO

Boxthorn Japanese, Lyciym japonicum Plate 361 1797 Hand-colored etching Ed. 1st ed. 9 x 5.25 inches

Category

1790s Naturalistic William Curtis Art

Materials

Etching

Toad-flax Clammy, Antirrhinum viscosum Plate 368

Toad-flax Clammy, Antirrhinum viscosum Plate 368

By William Curtis

Located in Columbia, MO

Toad-flax Clammy, Antirrhinum viscosum Plate 368 1797 Hand-colored etching Ed. 1st ed. 9 x 5.25 inches

Category

1790s Naturalistic William Curtis Art

Materials

Etching

Craggula Tree, Crassula cotyledon Plate 384

Craggula Tree, Crassula cotyledon Plate 384

By William Curtis

Located in Columbia, MO

Craggula Tree, Crassula cotyledon Plate 384 1797 Hand-colored etching Ed. 1st ed. 9 x 5.25 inches

Category

1790s Naturalistic William Curtis Art

Materials

Etching

Heath Recurved, Erica retorta Plate 362

Heath Recurved, Erica retorta Plate 362

By William Curtis

Located in Columbia, MO

Heath Recurved, Erica retorta Plate 362 1797 Hand-colored etching Ed. 1st ed. 9 x 5.25 inches

Category

1790s Naturalistic William Curtis Art

Materials

Etching

Chironia Baccifera Berry-Bearing Chironia /// English Botanical Flower Engraving
Chironia Baccifera Berry-Bearing Chironia /// English Botanical Flower Engraving

Chironia Baccifera Berry-Bearing Chironia /// English Botanical Flower Engraving

By William Curtis

Located in Saint Augustine, FL

Artist: William Curtis (English, 1746-1799) Title: "Chironia Baccifera Berry-Bearing Chironia" (Vol. 7, Plate 233) Portfolio: The Botanical Magazine; or, Flower-Garden Displayed Year...

Category

1790s Victorian William Curtis Art

Materials

Watercolor, Engraving, Intaglio

Cyrilla Pulchella Scarlet-Flowered Cyrilla /// English Botanical Flower Print
Cyrilla Pulchella Scarlet-Flowered Cyrilla /// English Botanical Flower Print

Cyrilla Pulchella Scarlet-Flowered Cyrilla /// English Botanical Flower Print

By William Curtis

Located in Saint Augustine, FL

Artist: William Curtis (English, 1746-1799) Title: "Cyrilla Pulchella Scarlet-Flowered Cyrilla" (Vol. 11, Plate 374) Portfolio: The Botanical Magazine; or, Flower-Garden Displayed Ye...

Category

1790s Victorian William Curtis Art

Materials

Watercolor, Engraving, Intaglio

Roella Prickly, Roella ciliata Plate 378

Roella Prickly, Roella ciliata Plate 378

By William Curtis

Located in Columbia, MO

Roella Prickly, Roella ciliata Plate 378 1797 Hand-colored etching Ed. 1st ed. 9 x 5.25 inches

Category

1790s Naturalistic William Curtis Art

Materials

Etching

------- Pyramidal, ------- Pyramidalis Plate 366

------- Pyramidal, ------- Pyramidalis Plate 366

By William Curtis

Located in Columbia, MO

—–---Pyramidal, -------Pyramidalis Plate 366 1797 Hand-colored etching Ed. 1st ed. 9 x 5.25 inches

Category

1790s Naturalistic William Curtis Art

Materials

Etching

William Curtis art for sale on 1stDibs.

Find a wide variety of authentic William Curtis art available for sale on 1stDibs. If you’re browsing the collection of art to introduce a pop of color in a neutral corner of your living room or bedroom, you can find work that includes elements of yellow and other colors. You can also browse by medium to find art by William Curtis in etching, engraving, paint and more. Not every interior allows for large William Curtis art, so small editions measuring 6 inches across are available. Customers who are interested in this artist might also find the work of Georges-Louis Leclerc, Comte de Buffon, Francois Nicolas Martinet, and Paul Sandby. William Curtis art prices can differ depending upon medium, time period and other attributes. On 1stDibs, the price for these items starts at $250 and tops out at $900, while the average work can sell for $550.

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