Grand Heritage Editions Tulips. Four Besler Tulip flowers.

$48.00

One of a pair of large Tulip reproduction Besler prints from early hand-coloured copperplate engravings.

Large Heritage Editions reproduction from a superb hand-coloured copperplate engraving by Basilius Besler (1562-1629), for his Hortus Eystettensis, the first great ‘florilegium’ ever published, and probably the most impressive and extensive botanical work ever produced. Besler illustrated 1086 plants in 368 large, hand-coloured copperplate engravings, published by Basilius Bester and Ludwig Jungermann in Nuremberg between 1561 and 1613, to commemorate the celebrated gardens of Besler’s patron, the ruling bishop, Johann Konrad von Gemmingen, Prince Bishop of Eichstatt, who financed the enormous project.

While in charge of the bishop’s gardens, in 1586 Besler took over the pharmacy at the Nuremberg hay market, and set up his own botanical gardens, with an extensive collection of natural history specimens. He soon became known as a botanist and collector of collector of natural history specimens.

The picture does not do justice to the quality of this wonderful reproduction print. Image size approximately 47 x 37cm.