Details
LINNAEUS, CARL. Hortus Cliffortianus. Amsterdam: 1737.
Folio, 435 x 260mm., late 19th-century sheep-backed marbled boards bound for Philippe de Vilmorin with his fouled-anchor monogram/crest tooled in lowest compartment of gilt spine, some light spotting to contents.
FIRST EDITION. Title in red and black with engraved vignette, engraved allegorical frontispiece of the Hortus Cliffortianus by and after J.Wndelaar, 36 engraved plates (28 by Wandelaar, of which 20 are after G.D.Ehret).
A work of great importance botanically, as it provided Linnaeus with his first opportunity to present a detailed catalogue of cultivated plants in a worthy format. As the volume was produced at the expense of George Clifford, a highly successful merchant and owner of the gardens at Hartecamp, it stands alone amongst Linnaeus's works as being a beautiful book. W.T. Stearn has written that the book "marks the beginning of a new era in botanical illustration and foreshadows the golden century of great flower-book production which extended from about 1760 to 1860.
Dunthorne 186; Hunt 504; Nissen BBI 1215; Soulsby 328; Stafleu & Cowan TL2 4719.
Provenance: Philippe de Vilmorin, binding, bookplate -- Robert de Belder.
Folio, 435 x 260mm., late 19th-century sheep-backed marbled boards bound for Philippe de Vilmorin with his fouled-anchor monogram/crest tooled in lowest compartment of gilt spine, some light spotting to contents.
FIRST EDITION. Title in red and black with engraved vignette, engraved allegorical frontispiece of the Hortus Cliffortianus by and after J.Wndelaar, 36 engraved plates (28 by Wandelaar, of which 20 are after G.D.Ehret).
A work of great importance botanically, as it provided Linnaeus with his first opportunity to present a detailed catalogue of cultivated plants in a worthy format. As the volume was produced at the expense of George Clifford, a highly successful merchant and owner of the gardens at Hartecamp, it stands alone amongst Linnaeus's works as being a beautiful book. W.T. Stearn has written that the book "marks the beginning of a new era in botanical illustration and foreshadows the golden century of great flower-book production which extended from about 1760 to 1860.
Dunthorne 186; Hunt 504; Nissen BBI 1215; Soulsby 328; Stafleu & Cowan TL2 4719.
Provenance: Philippe de Vilmorin, binding, bookplate -- Robert de Belder.