Botany · 19th century
€ 399
One of a kind: this is the sheet in the photographs. Ships from Langweer, the Netherlands.
Good antique condition with age-related toning and scattered light foxing in the margins. The engraved image remains clear with strong printed lines. Plate mark visible.
Antique Oxford Botanic Garden Engraving – Oxford Almanack, Benjamin Green, 1820
This finely engraved 18th-century architectural view depicts the Oxford Physic Garden, today known as the University of Oxford Botanic Garden, the oldest botanical garden in Great Britain. The print shows the garden as it appeared in the mid-18th century and was originally published as part of the Oxford Almanack for 1766, a celebrated series of annual engravings illustrating important buildings and institutions of the University of Oxford.
The composition presents a panoramic view of the garden’s early structures and glasshouses used for the cultivation of medicinal plants. The elegant buildings stretch across the foreground behind a carefully arranged garden setting. Rising prominently in the background is the distinctive tower of Magdalen College, one of the most recognizable landmarks of Oxford’s historic skyline.
At the center of the composition stands the monumental Danby Gate, the ceremonial entrance to the garden. This classical stone gateway was designed in 1632–1633 by Nicholas Stone, the royal mason to King Charles I. The gate was funded by Henry Danvers, Earl of Danby, who founded the Physic Garden in 1621 for the study of medicinal plants and botanical science. The structure remains one of the earliest examples of classical architecture in Oxford and a symbol of the university’s long tradition of scientific study.
The lower portion of the engraving contains a richly ornamented cartouche with allegorical figures, inscriptions, and a small architectural vignette celebrating the foundation of the garden. Such decorative elements were typical of the Oxford Almanack engravings and reflect the refined academic culture of Georgian Oxford.
The plate was engraved by Benjamin Green (c.1736–1800) after a design by Samuel Wale (1721–1786). Wale was a respected British painter and designer known for historical and architectural compositions, while Green was one of the principal engravers responsible for translating these designs into the elegant copperplate prints issued in the Oxford Almanack series.
Oxford Almanack engravings are highly sought after today by collectors of British topography, Oxford University history, and Georgian architectural prints. They combine academic heritage, refined engraving technique, and historically important architectural views.
Condition: Good antique condition with age-related toning and scattered light foxing in the margins. The engraved image remains clear with strong printed lines. Plate mark visible.
Framing tips: This print displays beautifully in a dark walnut, ebonized, or antique gilt frame with a wide ivory or museum-white mat. Its elegant architectural composition makes it particularly suitable for libraries, studies, or classic English interiors.
Technique: Copperplate engraving
Maker: Benjamin Green, England, 1820
