Decorative Set of 3 Antique Botanical Prints, Wildflowers of Leipzig 1690s
€ 560
One of a kind: this is the sheet in the photographs. Ships from Langweer, the Netherlands.
Sheet size
43 × 29 cm (16.9 × 11.4 in)
Condition
Fair
Reference
BG-13747-42, -45, -46
Condition
Strong well-coloured impressions with even age toning. Scattered spotting and small handling marks; occasional marginal smudges and a light tide line at the lower margin; a few tiny edge nicks and short tears confined to blank margins. Paper fragile.
Set of three late-17th/early-18th-century botanical copper engravings with period hand-colour, attributed to Augustus Quirinus Rivinus and his Ordo plantarum project (Leipzig, 1690s; likely the 1699 “flore irregulari pentapetalo” volume). Each plate is printed within a neat double-ruled border and titled in a contemporary hand: “Anonis” (a finely spined, upright restharrow with papilionaceous blossoms), “Hedysarum” (rounded, paired leaflets with small terminal racemes; tiny manuscript number “98.” at the upper right margin), and “Genista Hispanica” (a wiry broom with narrow leaves and yellow flowers). The colouring is transparent and carefully laid so the burin hatching remains visible. True plate impressions encircle the image fields. The sheets are laid paper; a fragmentary two-letter countermark at the outer edge is consistent with Dutch paper stock commonly used by Leipzig printers of the period. As a group these three Fabaceae sheets illustrate the irregular five-petalled “papilionaceous” form that underpinned Rivinus’s classification and present beautifully when kept together.
Sold here as three loose prints, unframed and unmatted. Any frames or matting shown in visuals are for illustration only; the price is for the prints only.
Condition report: Strong, well-coloured impressions with even age toning. Scattered spotting and small handling marks; occasional marginal smudges and a light tide line at the lower margin; a few tiny edge nicks and short tears confined to blank margins. Image areas clean. Plate marks clearly visible on all three. Blank versos.
Framing tips: Mount in wide ivory or soft-cream mats with a very thin olive or warm-grey inner line to echo the foliage. Ebonized or dark-walnut frames give crisp contrast; a narrow gilt slip adds a classical note. Hang in a horizontal row with consistent sight windows and generous spacing. Use UV-filter glazing.
Technique: Copper engraving with period hand-colour on laid paper (plate impressions present; partial two-letter countermark at sheet edge) Maker: Attributed to Augustus Quirinus Rivinus, Ordo plantarum, Leipzig, 1690s (likely 1699)
