Three life-sized flowers engraved by Seruasuis and published in Basil Bessler's Hortus Eystettensis Nuremburg 1613. Arguably the most impressive of the early seventeenth century Florilegia, it was certainly a landmark publication. Beautifully framed.

Hand-coloured copper engraving. Descriptive text on verso. Hand-ragged with French lines and panel. Museum quality matts, filet, glazed, ornate giltwood frame.

19" x 15 ¾" (48.3cm x 40 cm) Frame 32 ¼" x 28 ¼"
ref. AG 49/RDGV.AN/da.annr>LALN
PRICE CODE I
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Basil Bessler’s Hortus Eystettensis
1613

Basil Bessler’s Hortus Eystettensis is a record of the flowers in the magnificent garden surrounding Prince Bishop Johann Konrad von Gemmingen’s castle at Eichstätt, near Nuremberg, Germany.

The 374 images depicting over 1000 flowers, bulbs, shrubs, wild plants, vegetables, and even weeds (just flowers out of place), were published in two large folio volumes, engraved life size and arranged in the splendid publication in the order in which they bloomed over the seasons of a year.

The garden was one of the first to systematically display both shrubs and flowers from Europe, Asia, Africa and the Americas, but remains as a record of native German flora prior to the introduction of species from abroad. The formal design of the images has stood the test of time and the format has had much appeal for collectors and particularly designers over the years.

The original garden was, alas, destroyed in 1634, but has now been painstakingly reconstructed and reopened to the public in 1998.

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