Old Botanical Quartet: Portraits of Flax, Tobacco, Saffron, and Patience, 1823

€ 220

Original antique · The actual sheet photographed · Certificate of authenticity on request · Sold unframed · Worldwide shipping from € 15 (rates)

Date: 1823
Sheet size: 43.2 × 27.5 cm (17.0 × 10.8 in)
Condition: Fair
Reference: BG-13584-10

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

General age-related toning. Shows overall creasing and a large horizontal folding line in the middle. Blank verso. Please review the images for further condition details.

About this sheet

Antique print titled 'Crocus Sativus (..)'. Four images of flowers on one sheet, printed from two plates. The upper two show Linum Usitatissimum (or Common Flax) and Nicotiana tabacum (or cultivated tobacco). The lower two show Crocus Sativus (or Saffran Crocus) and Rheum Palmatum (or Chinese Rhubarb). Published by Sir R. Phillips & Co, 1823.

In more detail:

This image features four different botanical illustrations, each displaying a plant with its common and scientific names:

1. Top Left: A slender plant with small, bell-shaped blue flowers and narrow leaves along the stem. It is labeled as "Linum Usitatissimum - Common Flax."

2. Top Right: A robust plant with larger, trumpet-shaped pink flowers and broad leaves. This is identified as "Nicotiana Tabacum - Virginian Tobacco."

3. Bottom Left: This plant shows a bulbous root with a singular flower that has deep red and blue petals, along with various parts of the plant depicted separately. It is marked as "Crocus Sativus - Saffron Crocus."

4. Bottom Right: A plant with a dense cluster of tiny pinkish flowers atop a thick stem with large, lobed leaves. The label reads "Rumex Patientia - Patience or English Spinach."

Each plant has its own agricultural or historical significance, such as the use of flax fibers for linen, tobacco for smoking, saffron for seasoning, and patience plant as a leaf vegetable.