William Curtis

------- Pyramidal, ------- Pyramidalis Plate 366

1797

Roella Prickly, Roella ciliata Plate 378 1797 Hand-colored etching Ed. 1st ed. 9 x 5.25 inches

Toad-flax Clammy, Antirrhinum viscosum Plate 368 1797 Hand-colored etching Ed. 1st ed. 9 x 5.25 inches

Cyrilla Scarlet-flowered, Cyrilla pulchella Plate 374 1797 Hand-colored etching Ed. 1st ed. 9 x 5.25 inches

Corn-flag Copper coloured, Gladiolus securiger Plate 383 1797 Hand-colored etching Ed. 1st ed. 9 x 5.25 inches

Engraving with original hand-colouring. 1834. 230mm by 155mm. From Paxton's 'Magazine of botany and register of flowering plants' by Sir Joseph Paxton.

These rare first-edition botanical engravings originate from the work of William Curtis (1746–1799), one of the most important botanists and natural history illustrators of the 18th century. A trained apothecary, Curtis devoted his career to the study and documentation of plants, insects, and the natural world. He grew over 6000 species in his own garden! His commitment to making botanical knowledge accessible to both scholars and enthusiasts helped transform botanical illustration into a discipline valued equally for its scientific accuracy and artistic beauty. Published in 1777, these engravings represent the earliest edition of Curtis’s work and reflect the growing fascination with horticulture, exploration, and scientific discovery that characterized the Georgian era. Curtis's publications were celebrated for their meticulous detail and faithful representation of plant specimens, establishing standards that influenced generations of botanical artists and researchers. The rarity and significance of Curtis’s work are underscored by its presence in some of the most notable libraries of the period. Historical records indicate that George Washington owned a later edition of one of Curtis’s botanical publications, demonstrating the esteem these works commanded among prominent collectors on both sides of the Atlantic. The engravings offered here predate those later editions and were issued during Curtis’s lifetime, making them particularly desirable examples for collectors of early botanical works. Today, Curtis engravings...

'Antholyza Fulgens - Refulgent-flowered Antholyza' Original copper-line engraving with original hand-colouring from Henry Andrews' 'The Botanist's Repository', 1797-1812. Accompani...

These rare first-edition botanical engravings originate from the work of William Curtis (1746–1799), one of the most important botanists and natural history illustrators of the 18th ...