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Rare 1803 Hand-Colored Copperplate Engraving from:
William Curtis\'LECTURES ON BOTANY
AS DELIVERED IN THE BOTANIC GARDENATLAMBETHBY THE LATEWILLIAM CURTIS, F.L.S.
PLATE XCII. Iris Xiphium (Spanish iris)From the scarce \"William Curtis Lectures on Botany, as delivered in the Botanic Garden at Lambeth, 1805\" comes this original, copperplate engraving of the Spanish iris, Iris xiphium. Handcoloured copperplate engraving by F. Sansom of a botanical illustration by Sydenham Edwards.
The publication: William Curtis\' LECTURES, featuring handcolored engravings was edited by son-in-law Samuel Curtis. With a sketch of the life and writings of the Mr. William Curtis By Dr. Thornton. The topics covered in the lectures include seeds, vegetation, roots, stalks, leaves, fructification, botanic classes and orders, and much more.
The Artists: This plate was engraved & hand-colored after a painting by Sydenham Edwards & is signed by \'Syd. Edwards del.\' (Sydenham Teak Edwards, 1768 - 1819) as well as the engraver, \'F. Sansom Sc.\' (Francis Sansom, active 1785-1799).
The drawing & coloring are quite stunning. It\'s a beautiful plate, full of the passion that the early flower painters, botanists & gardeners had for these amazing flowers, many of which were discovered in the pristine reaches of the ever-expanding British Empire & by intrepid explorers of the time.
These gorgeously drawn, engraved & water-colored original prints were presented on their page with consistently balanced, beautiful compositions.
Every part of this prints was made by hand: Hand drawn & engraved on Copper which was hand-mined, smelted & rolled, printed onto handmade cotton rag paper, inked & colored with hand-ground pigments individually by hand, & they were usually hand sewn into handmade leather-bound books.
Condition: Appears to be in excellent, near pristine condition for a centuries-old engraving. The hand-coloring appears to remain sharp & brilliant as the day it was painted.
These prints are very old & may have minor imperfections expected with age, such as some typical age-toning of the paper, oxidation of the old original watercolors, spots, text-offsetting, artifacts from having been bound into a book, etc. Please examine the photos & details carefully.
Text Page(s): This one comes with its original title page for this plate.
About this gorgeous flower:
- Iris xiphium, commonly known as the Spanish iris, is an iris native to Spain and Portugal. It has also been found in Corsica, South West France, southern Italy, Algeria and Tunisia. This species is also known as the small bulbous-rooted iris or xiphium iris.
- This iris grows up to 80cm in height and usually has either blue-and-yellow or violet-and yellow flowers typically 6cm across. Many cultivars of this attractive wildflower have been produced.
Size: 5 1/2 x 9\" inches approximately.
Shipping: Multiple prints combine into one USPS Flat-Rate envelope. If you\'d like to combine & need more time to choose, please send a message & we\'ll do our best to oblige. If you\'re assessed multiple shipping for one combined package, we\'ll endeavor to refund any overage asap.
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