Skip to main content
Want more images or videos?
Request additional images or videos from the seller
1 of 5

Dr. Robert John Thornton
THORNTON. The Superb Lily.

1799

About the Item

A magnificent print by Robert John Thornton; aquatint and mezzotint, printed in colour and finished by hand, heightened with gum arabic, from The Temple of Flora. [London 1799]. First state. Issue A. Thornton was a prolific medical author and became a Doctor of Medicine at St Andrews University and licentiate of the Royal College of Physicians. However, he is best remembered for his great botanical publication The Temple of Flora, which formed a part of the larger work New Illustration of the sexual system of Linnaeus. In 1797, he also began advertising for subscribers to his planned natural history publishing venture, which eventually became known as The Temple of Flora, comprised of 30 folio botanical plates. For these remarkable illustrations, he engaged the services of the leading artists and engravers of his day: Sir William Beechey, James Opie, Henry Raeburn, John Russell, Philip Reinagle and others as painters; Francesco Bartolozzi, Richard Earlom and John Landseer. Most of the images were painted by Peter Charles Henderson and Philip Reinagle. These botanical illustrations are unique as they were the first flower prints with landscape backgrounds, depicting the natural habitat of the plant. The life-size flowers stand out dramatically and the whole effect is startlingly modern. Thornton's announced intention was to make this work the most magnificent tribute ever paid to the famous Swedish botanist Linnaeus by illustrating his Sexual System with the finest possible prints. All these were engraved on a larger scale than anything which had hitherto appeared and then were printed in colour, an expensive and uncommon method in England at this time. A brilliant effect.
More From This SellerView All
  • THORNTON. Group of Carnations
    By Dr. Robert John Thornton
    Located in London, GB
    Magnificent print by Robert John Thornton; aquatint and mezzotint, printed in colour and finished by hand, heightened with gum arabic, from The Temple of Flora. [London 1799] First ...
    Category

    1790s Naturalistic Still-life Prints

    Materials

    Handmade Paper, Engraving, Mezzotint, Aquatint

  • THORNTON. The Roses
    By Dr. Robert John Thornton
    Located in London, GB
    Magnificent print by Robert John Thornton. Aquatint and mezzotint, printed in colour and finished by hand, heightened with gum arabic, from The Temple of Flora. [London 1799] First state. Thornton was a prolific medical author and Doctor of Medicine, practicing at St Andrews University and licentiate of the Royal College of Physicians. However, he is best remembered for this great botanical publication The Temple of Flora, which formed a part of the larger work - New Illustration of the Sexual system of Linnaeus. In 1797, he also began advertising for subscribers to his planned natural history publishing venture, which eventually comprised of 30 folio botanical plates. For these remarkable illustrations, he engaged the services of the leading artists and engravers of his day: Sir William Beechey, James Opie, Henry Raeburn, John Russell, Philip Reinagle and others as painters; Francesco Bartolozzi, Richard Earlom and John Landseer. Most of the images were painted by Peter Charles Henderson and Philip Reinagle. These botanical illustrations are unique as they were the first flower prints with landscape backgrounds, depicting the natural habitat of the plant. The life-size flowers stand out dramatically and the whole effect is startlingly modern. Thornton's announced intention was to make this work the most magnificent tribute ever paid to the famous Swedish botanist Linnaeus by illustrating his Sexual System with the finest possible prints. All these were engraved on a larger scale than anything which had hitherto appeared and then were printed in colour, an expensive and uncommon method in England at this time. A brilliant effect. This rare and celebrated plate of the Roses...
    Category

    1790s Naturalistic Still-life Prints

    Materials

    Mezzotint, Aquatint, Handmade Paper, Engraving

  • THORNTON. The Tulips.
    By Dr. Robert John Thornton
    Located in London, GB
    Aquatint and mezzotint, printed in colours and finished by hand, heightened with gum arabic, from The Temple of Flora. Framed and glazed. London, 1...
    Category

    1790s Naturalistic Still-life Prints

    Materials

    Mezzotint, Handmade Paper, Aquatint, Engraving

  • BROOKSHAW. A Pair of Melons: White Seed'd Rock and Silver Rock Mellon
    By George Brookshaw
    Located in London, GB
    Pair of aquatints with stipple-engraving, printed in colours and finished by hand, made for Brookshaw's most famous work "Pomona Britannica" or a "Collection of the Most Esteemed Fru...
    Category

    1810s Naturalistic Still-life Prints

    Materials

    Handmade Paper, Aquatint, Engraving

  • Set of Four Gourds
    By Johann Wilhelm Weinmann
    Located in London, GB
    Set of 4 double-page mezzotint engravings, printed in colour and finished by hand. [Published: H. Lentz and H.G. Neubauer, Regensburg, 1737]. An attractive collection of fine plates...
    Category

    1730s Naturalistic Still-life Prints

    Materials

    Handmade Paper, Engraving, Mezzotint

  • POITEAU/ TURPIN. Traité des arbres fruitiers: A Set of Four Cherries.
    Located in London, GB
    A set of four stipple-engraved plates printed in colours and finished by hand. Four plates from 'One of the finest and rarest books on fruit' (Dunthorne p.192). This series takes it...
    Category

    Early 1800s Naturalistic Still-life Prints

    Materials

    Handmade Paper, Color, Engraving

You May Also Like
  • White Hamburgh Grape: A Framed 19th C. Color Engraving by George Brookshaw
    By George Brookshaw
    Located in Alamo, CA
    This is a 19th century colored aquatint and stipple engraving finished by hand entitled "White Hamburgh Grape", drawn and engraved by George Brookshaw and published in London in 1812 as plate 60 in his 'Pomona Britannica; or, A Collection of the Most Esteemed Fruits'. It depicts a cluster of pale green grapes still on the vine. The vine and leaves are shown in attractive shades of green and brown. The plant lays on a brown textured background with shadows to impart 3-dimensionality. The scene is reminiscent of an engraving in an 18th century artistically stylized human anatomy atlas. There is a light brown title rectangle in the lower center which is blank, suggesting this may be a more rare preproduction proof. There are wide white margins. This striking engraving is presented in a reddish brown decorative wood frame with a darker brown scroll-work outer trim and a gold-colored inner fillet and a thick light beige mat. The frame measures 26" high, 22" wide and 1.13" deep. It is glazed with UV conservation glass. There is a tiny spot in the lower margin on the left and another in the left margin. The print and frame are otherwise in excellent condition. There is a second Brookshaw engraving that is framed in identical moulding, although a slightly different size and a different color mat. It depicts a Silver Rock Melon. The two prints would make a striking display pairing...
    Category

    Early 19th Century Naturalistic Still-life Prints

    Materials

    Engraving, Aquatint

  • "Amicua Melon" Hand Finished Color Engraving by George Brookshaw
    By George Brookshaw
    Located in Alamo, CA
    A colored aquatint and stipple engraving finished by hand entitled "Amicua Melon", drawn and engraved by George Brookshaw and published in London in 1812 as plate LXXII in his 'Pomon...
    Category

    Early 19th Century Naturalistic Still-life Prints

    Materials

    Engraving, Aquatint

  • Silver Rock Melon: A Framed 19th C. Color Engraving by George Brookshaw
    By George Brookshaw
    Located in Alamo, CA
    This is a 19th century colored aquatint and stipple engraving finished by hand entitled "Silver Rock Melon", drawn and engraved by George Brookshaw and published in London in 1812 as plate 67 in his 'Pomona Britannica; or, A Collection of the Most Esteemed Fruits'. It depicts a Silver Rock Melon still on the vine, but the melon lies on a heater green mat. A wedge of the melon has been dissected to reveal its inner anatomy, including the seeds. The melon skin is a heather and light green color, while the inner portions are a light peach color. The vine and leaves are shown attractive shades of light green and there are soft yellow flowers. The plant is displayed on a light brown textured background with shadows to impart 3-dimensionality. The scene is reminiscent of an engraving in an 18th century artistically stylized human anatomy atlas. There are wide white margins. The title and inscription lies within the lower border. This striking engraving is presented in a reddish brown decorative wood frame with a darker brown scroll-work outer trim and a gold-colored inner fillet and a thick heather green mat. The frame measures 25.75" high, 21.5" wide and 1.13" deep. It is glazed with UV conservation glass. There is a short thin vertical line of discoloration in the lower margin through the word "melon" and a tiny spot in the upper margin on the left. The print and frame are otherwise in excellent condition. There is a second Brookshaw engraving that is framed in identical moulding, although a slightly different size and a different color mat. t depicts a cluster of grapes. The two prints would make a striking display pairing...
    Category

    Early 19th Century Naturalistic Still-life Prints

    Materials

    Engraving, Aquatint

  • Weinmann 18th Century Hand Colored Botanical Engraving "Amaranthus seu Blitum"
    By Johann Wilhelm Weinmann
    Located in Alamo, CA
    An 18th century color printed in addition to hand colored botanical mezzotint and line engraving by Johann Wilhelm Weinmann (1683-1741) depicting the following flowering amaranthus p...
    Category

    Mid-18th Century Naturalistic Still-life Prints

    Materials

    Engraving, Mezzotint

  • Weinmann 18th Century Hand Colored Botanical Engraving "Convolvulus" (Bindweed)
    By Johann Wilhelm Weinmann
    Located in Alamo, CA
    An 18th century hand colored botanical mezzotint and line engraving by Johann Wilhelm Weinmann (1683-1741) depicting the following flowering bindweed plants: a. Convolvulus major lac...
    Category

    Mid-18th Century Naturalistic Still-life Prints

    Materials

    Engraving, Mezzotint

  • Weinmann 18th Century Hand Colored Botanical Engraving "Ephemerum Virginianum"
    By Johann Wilhelm Weinmann
    Located in Alamo, CA
    This colored botanical mezzotint and line engraving finished with hand coloring by Johann Wilhelm Weinmann (1683-1741) is entitled "A. Ephemerum Virginianu flore Purpureo, B. Ephemer...
    Category

    Mid-18th Century Naturalistic Still-life Prints

    Materials

    Engraving, Mezzotint

Recently Viewed

View All