8 xilografie di piante fiorite - 1597

We offer 2 sheets with a total 8 woodcuts of plants drawn for The Herball or generall Historie of Plantes by John Gerard in his first edition of 1597. Gerard was the most prestigious plant scholar in English circles, alongside William Turner (about 1508–1568) and John Parkinson (1567–1650); an attentive observer, gardener and avid collector, skilled and brilliant in writing, John Gerard was in fact a barber-surgeon, but he will go down in history as a botanist thanks to this work. The 2 sheets are in excellent condition with a slight marginal browning; they depict in total 8 plants with the names given in Latin and English. Since nomenclature was still far from settled, they are the common names of the period, not scientific ones. The first sheet shows Conyza media and Conyza minima, herbaceous plants considered weeds whose flowers form a shape reminiscent of chamomile. On the back are illustrated two other varieties: the large Conyza maior and the small, slender Conyza minor vera. The second sheet is devoted to Limonium, a very wide and varied genus. Next to the sea-lavender, recognizable by the waves in which its roots sink, is shown the harvest Limonium parvum; on the other side of the sheet appear Limonium folio sinuato, distinguished by the violet flowers suitable for drying, preserving form and brightness, and Limonium congener, leafless, whose beautiful trumpet-shaped flowers arise at the base of the stem. All 8 woodcuts present an old delicate colouring. Careful and prompt shipping.

Estimate:£169.02

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