Original antique · The actual sheet photographed · Certificate of authenticity on request · Sold unframed · Worldwide shipping from € 15 (rates)
Mapmaker / artist
Attributed to Augustus Quirinus Rivinus, Ordo plantarum, Leipzig, 1690s (likely 1699)
Technique
Copper engraving with period hand-color on laid paper (plate impressions present; sheets show partial two-letter countermarks typical of Dutch paper)
Sheet size
43 × 29 cm (16.9 × 11.4 in)
Condition
Fair
Reference
BG-13747-56, -57, -58
What the condition grades mean
Excellent
Bright and clean, with no faults worth mentioning.
Very good
Only light signs of age, such as faint toning.
Good
Normal signs of age for a sheet of this period: toning, some foxing, small marks or neat old repairs.
Fair
Clear faults such as staining, tears or repairs, priced to match.
Every fault we see is written in the condition note, and the whole sheet is shown uncropped in the photos.
Condition
Strong, well-colored impressions with even age toning. Light scattered foxing and handling marks; some marginal smudges; faint tide line at the lower margin; tiny edge nicks and short tears confined to blank margins. Paper fragile, tape on reverse.
Set of three late-17th/early-18th-century botanical copper engravings with period hand-color, attributed to Augustus Quirinus Rivinus and his Ordo plantarum project (Leipzig, 1690s; likely 1699, the “flore irregulari pentapetalo” volume). Each sheet is printed within a neat double-ruled border and titled in a contemporary hand. The plates depict: “Natrix” (a slender, leafy stem hung with many pendulous yellow papilionaceous flowers), “Astragalus” (compound leaflets with short racemes of reddish-yellow blossoms), and “Cytisus” (twin brooms with tall golden inflorescences and a separate pod study). Transparent hand-color allows the fine burin hatching to remain visible. True plate impressions encircle the image fields, and the laid paper shows a fragmentary two-letter countermark at the outer edge—typical of Dutch paper used by Leipzig printers of this period. Together the three sheets form a coherent Fabaceae group that illustrates the irregular five-petalled, papilionaceous corolla central to Rivinus’s taxonomy.
Sold here as three loose prints, unframed and unmatted. Any frames or mounts shown in visuals are for illustration only; the price covers the prints only.
Condition report: Strong, well-colored impressions with even age toning. Light scattered foxing and handling marks; occasional marginal smudges; faint tide line at the lower margin on some sheets; tiny edge nicks and short tears confined to blank margins. Image areas clean and fresh. Plate marks clearly visible on all three. Blank versos.
Framing tips: Mount in wide ivory or soft-cream mats; a very thin olive or warm-gray inner line echoes the foliage. Ebonized or dark-walnut frames provide crisp contrast; a narrow gilt slip adds a restrained classical accent. Hang as a horizontal trio with consistent sight windows and generous spacing. Use UV-filter glazing.
