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Details
JOHN MARTYN (1699-1768)
Historia plantarum rariorum. London: Richard Reily, 1728[-1738]. 2 (498 x 337mm). Imprimatur leaf of Sir Hans Sloane as President of the Royal Society, title printed in red and black, large engraved and mezzotint headpiece and initial printed in black and blue at opening of preface, engraved plate of dedication to the Royal Society, 50 mezzotint plates printed in colours and finished by hand, engraved by Elisha Kirkall after paintings by Jacob van Huysum, W. Houstoun, Massey, G. Sartorys and R. Sartorius, extra-illustrated with an original watercolour inserted before the title. (Slight surface damage to plate facing p.26 not affecting image, A2 with small marginal tear, occasional light spotting.) 18th-century sprinkled calf gilt (neatly rebacked, old spine label laid down, later endpapers.) Provenance: P.[eter] C.[ollinson] (1694-1768, naturalist, antiquary, partial signature on title, by descent:); Charles Streynsham Collinson (The Chantry, Sproughton, near Ipswich, d.1834, signature on title, ?house-sale: R. Garrod, at The Chantry, 21 July 1834); The Earl of Derby (Knowsley Hall, armorial bookplate, shelfmark, sale: Christie's 30 June 1971, lot 81); Robert de Belder (sale: Sotheby's 28 April 1987, lot 231).
THE COLLINSON-DERBY-DE BELDER COPY. AN IMPORTANT ASSOCIATION COPY OF THE FIRST BOTANICAL BOOK ILLUSTRATED WITH COLOUR-PRINTED PLATES. The work is devoted to new species growing at the Chelsea Physic Garden and the Cambridge Botanic Garden. Published in five parts over ten years, each decade of letterpress and plates begins with a headpiece vignette and an ornamental large initial. Most of the plates are printed in two colours, and each is dedicated to a patron-subscriber with an engraved coat-of-arms or monogram. Martyn apparently intended the work to be continued periodically as further specimens were introduced, but the publication ceased after the fourth 'decade' due to lack of support.
Peter Collinson (1694-1768) was a famous naturalist, antiquary and contemporary of Martyn, and cultivated two renowned gardens during his lifetime, drawing on his mercantile connections with the American colonies in general and John Bartram in particular to import and introduce a number of important American plant species to this country. His connection with this work is two-fold: his name and arms are to be found on the plate facing p.51, 'Helleborine Americana', a plant which, according to the text, Collinson introduced to Britain in 1731. The second connection is perhaps more of a bizarre coincidence: Collinson died peacefully on 11th August 1768, whilst visiting Lord Petre at Writtle. Inserted as a frontispiece is a grey wash drawing by an unidentified hand "1738 Two Views of a Large Chestnut Tree Growing in the Right-Honourable Lord Petre's Park at Writtle in Essex". Brett-James The Life of Peter Collinson London: 1925, p.219 (present work included amongst highlights of C.S. Collinson's library); Dunthorne 193; Great Flower Books (1990), p. 118; Henrey 1016; Nissen BBI 1289; Pritzel 5921; Stafleu & Cowan 5563.
Historia plantarum rariorum. London: Richard Reily, 1728[-1738]. 2 (498 x 337mm). Imprimatur leaf of Sir Hans Sloane as President of the Royal Society, title printed in red and black, large engraved and mezzotint headpiece and initial printed in black and blue at opening of preface, engraved plate of dedication to the Royal Society, 50 mezzotint plates printed in colours and finished by hand, engraved by Elisha Kirkall after paintings by Jacob van Huysum, W. Houstoun, Massey, G. Sartorys and R. Sartorius, extra-illustrated with an original watercolour inserted before the title. (Slight surface damage to plate facing p.26 not affecting image, A2 with small marginal tear, occasional light spotting.) 18th-century sprinkled calf gilt (neatly rebacked, old spine label laid down, later endpapers.) Provenance: P.[eter] C.[ollinson] (1694-1768, naturalist, antiquary, partial signature on title, by descent:); Charles Streynsham Collinson (The Chantry, Sproughton, near Ipswich, d.1834, signature on title, ?house-sale: R. Garrod, at The Chantry, 21 July 1834); The Earl of Derby (Knowsley Hall, armorial bookplate, shelfmark, sale: Christie's 30 June 1971, lot 81); Robert de Belder (sale: Sotheby's 28 April 1987, lot 231).
THE COLLINSON-DERBY-DE BELDER COPY. AN IMPORTANT ASSOCIATION COPY OF THE FIRST BOTANICAL BOOK ILLUSTRATED WITH COLOUR-PRINTED PLATES. The work is devoted to new species growing at the Chelsea Physic Garden and the Cambridge Botanic Garden. Published in five parts over ten years, each decade of letterpress and plates begins with a headpiece vignette and an ornamental large initial. Most of the plates are printed in two colours, and each is dedicated to a patron-subscriber with an engraved coat-of-arms or monogram. Martyn apparently intended the work to be continued periodically as further specimens were introduced, but the publication ceased after the fourth 'decade' due to lack of support.
Peter Collinson (1694-1768) was a famous naturalist, antiquary and contemporary of Martyn, and cultivated two renowned gardens during his lifetime, drawing on his mercantile connections with the American colonies in general and John Bartram in particular to import and introduce a number of important American plant species to this country. His connection with this work is two-fold: his name and arms are to be found on the plate facing p.51, 'Helleborine Americana', a plant which, according to the text, Collinson introduced to Britain in 1731. The second connection is perhaps more of a bizarre coincidence: Collinson died peacefully on 11th August 1768, whilst visiting Lord Petre at Writtle. Inserted as a frontispiece is a grey wash drawing by an unidentified hand "1738 Two Views of a Large Chestnut Tree Growing in the Right-Honourable Lord Petre's Park at Writtle in Essex". Brett-James The Life of Peter Collinson London: 1925, p.219 (present work included amongst highlights of C.S. Collinson's library); Dunthorne 193; Great Flower Books (1990), p. 118; Henrey 1016; Nissen BBI 1289; Pritzel 5921; Stafleu & Cowan 5563.