Art

Beautiful engraving of two sprouting bulbs. The two plants are side by side on the page. The right hand plant has a light green leaf with a maroon mottled tip. The plants are well balanced on the page and the captions elegantly inscribed. Emanuel Sweert was prefect of the gardens of the Emperor Rudolf II in Prague. His Florilegium was first printed in Frankfurt by Kempner in 1612 -1614. It was originally a sales catalogue for plants and bulbs from Sweert's gardens, to be sold at fairs in Frankfurt and Amsterdam, but now these very attractive engravings are regarded as fine examples of 17th century botanical illustration and are much collected. Engraved by JANSSON, Jan. Copper engraving. Later colour. Size: 21 x 33.5 cm. (8½ x 13 inches).