Details
COMMELIN, Jan (1629-1692) and Caspar (1667-1731). Horti medici Amstelodamensis rariorum plantarum . . . descriptio et icones. [Volume I with Latin translation and notes and observations by F. Ruysch and F. Kiggelaar]. Amsterdam: P. & J. Blaeu, 1697-1701.
2 volumes, 2° (397 x 253mm). Parallel Latin and Dutch text. 4 letterpress titles, each with hand-coloured woodcut vignette, those in volume II heightened with gold, the Latin titles printed in red and black. 2 engraved frontispieces and 5 engraved full-page armorials, all hand-coloured and heightened with gold, some also with silver, 223 ENGRAVED FULL-PAGE ILLUSTRATIONS, WITH FINE LATER HAND-COLOURING, after Johann and Maria Moninckx and others, on 222 leaves, fig. 4 num. 1 and fig. 4 num. 2 in vol. II printed recto and verso of a single leaf, the remaining illustrations (and engraved preliminaries) on leaves that have been expertly backed with wove paper, most illustrations protected by tissue guards. (Half-titles lacking, three illustrations with very slight damage to the image, a few others slightly spotted.) Green morocco circa 1830-1840, covers with decorative border composed from four rows of triple fillets and various stylised flower and foliage rolls, spine in seven compartments with raised bands, lettered in two, the others densely decorated using various small tools (flowers and foliage in the main), turn-ins with gilt triple fillets, g.e., by Charles Lewis.
FIRST EDITION OF BOTH VOLUMES. Volume I: second state of gathering ** with errata on verso of **2. A SUMPTUOUS RECORD OF THE EXOTIC PLANTS IN THE AMSTERDAM PHYSIC GARDEN, of which Jan Commelin was director. 'The first volume, on the plants of the East and West Indies, was Jan Commelin's most important contribution to botanical knowledge; it was brought out posthumously by his nephew Caspar. The second volume was by Caspar Commelin and contained an enlargement on some of the notes in Jan's book, with further notes on African plants. The original paintings for the illustrations... may be seen in the Library of the Hortus Botanicus in Amsterdam.' (Hunt 399). The figures are numbered to 112 in each volume. In vol. I figures 42, 43 and 44 are on a single plate, and in vol. II figure 4 is on two plates (recto and verso of a single sheet). From internal evidence it would appear that this copy was issued uncoloured; coloured (and the plates backed) certainly before 1809 (a few text leaves show offsetting from the colouring of the plates with no corresponding signs on the intervening guards, e.g. Cc2 in vol.II); the guards bound-in no earlier than 1809 (the final guard is watermarked 'J Whatman 1809'); and finally bound, perhaps for Botfield, in the 1830s. None of the reference works cited mention hand-coloured copies of this edition. Nissen BBI 389; Great Flower Books 54; Dunthorne 81; Hunt 399; Stafleu and Cowan 1187. (2)
2 volumes, 2° (397 x 253mm). Parallel Latin and Dutch text. 4 letterpress titles, each with hand-coloured woodcut vignette, those in volume II heightened with gold, the Latin titles printed in red and black. 2 engraved frontispieces and 5 engraved full-page armorials, all hand-coloured and heightened with gold, some also with silver, 223 ENGRAVED FULL-PAGE ILLUSTRATIONS, WITH FINE LATER HAND-COLOURING, after Johann and Maria Moninckx and others, on 222 leaves, fig. 4 num. 1 and fig. 4 num. 2 in vol. II printed recto and verso of a single leaf, the remaining illustrations (and engraved preliminaries) on leaves that have been expertly backed with wove paper, most illustrations protected by tissue guards. (Half-titles lacking, three illustrations with very slight damage to the image, a few others slightly spotted.) Green morocco circa 1830-1840, covers with decorative border composed from four rows of triple fillets and various stylised flower and foliage rolls, spine in seven compartments with raised bands, lettered in two, the others densely decorated using various small tools (flowers and foliage in the main), turn-ins with gilt triple fillets, g.e., by Charles Lewis.
FIRST EDITION OF BOTH VOLUMES. Volume I: second state of gathering ** with errata on verso of **2. A SUMPTUOUS RECORD OF THE EXOTIC PLANTS IN THE AMSTERDAM PHYSIC GARDEN, of which Jan Commelin was director. 'The first volume, on the plants of the East and West Indies, was Jan Commelin's most important contribution to botanical knowledge; it was brought out posthumously by his nephew Caspar. The second volume was by Caspar Commelin and contained an enlargement on some of the notes in Jan's book, with further notes on African plants. The original paintings for the illustrations... may be seen in the Library of the Hortus Botanicus in Amsterdam.' (Hunt 399). The figures are numbered to 112 in each volume. In vol. I figures 42, 43 and 44 are on a single plate, and in vol. II figure 4 is on two plates (recto and verso of a single sheet). From internal evidence it would appear that this copy was issued uncoloured; coloured (and the plates backed) certainly before 1809 (a few text leaves show offsetting from the colouring of the plates with no corresponding signs on the intervening guards, e.g. Cc2 in vol.II); the guards bound-in no earlier than 1809 (the final guard is watermarked 'J Whatman 1809'); and finally bound, perhaps for Botfield, in the 1830s. None of the reference works cited mention hand-coloured copies of this edition. Nissen BBI 389; Great Flower Books 54; Dunthorne 81; Hunt 399; Stafleu and Cowan 1187. (2)