Rare Set of Botanical Engravings – Lotus, Lathyrus & Hedysarum, ca.1690
€ 560
One of a kind: this is the sheet in the photographs. Ships from Langweer, the Netherlands.
Date
1690
Sheet size
43 × 29 cm (16.9 × 11.4 in)
Condition
Fair
Reference
BG-13747-41, -43, -44
Condition
Fair to good impressions with original hand-colour. General age toning; scattered spots and small handling marks; marginal stains and a light tide mark at lower margin; a few short edge tears and tiny chips, all confined to blank margins.
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). Subjects are titled in a contemporary hand: “Lotus” with “Lotus siliq. arcuat.” (two stems with pods), “Lathyrus arvensis” (field pea with tendrils, flowers and pods), and “Hedysarum trifoliatum” (upright stem with trifoliate leaves and small inflorescence). Each plate is printed within a neat double-ruled border; the colouring is transparent, allowing the fine burin hatching to read clearly. True plate impressions are visible around the image areas. The laid paper shows a partial two-letter countermark on the outer edge, typical of Dutch paper stock used by Leipzig printers of the period (the principal watermark—likely a Strasbourg Lily—falls off-centre on these half-sheets). As a trio they form a coherent Fabaceae set that displays the papilionaceous, irregular five-petalled blossoms central to Rivinus’s taxonomy.
Sold here as three loose prints, unframed and unmatted. Any frames or matting shown in visuals are for illustration only; the price covers the prints only.
Condition report: Paper is fragile but good impressions with original hand-colour. General age toning; scattered spots and small handling marks; marginal stains and a light tide mark at lower margin; a few short edge tears and tiny chips, all confined to blank margins; image fields clean. Strong plate marks visible on all three. Blank versos.
Framing tips: Mount in wide ivory or soft-cream mats with a very thin sage or warm grey inner line to echo the foliage. Dark walnut or ebonized frames give crisp contrast; a narrow gilt slip adds a classical note. Hang as a horizontal trio with consistent sight windows and generous spacing. Use UV-filter glazing.
Technique: Copper engraving with period hand-colour on laid paper (plate impressions present; sheet shows partial two-letter countermark typical of Dutch paper) Maker: Attributed to Augustus Quirinus Rivinus, Ordo plantarum, Leipzig, 1690s (likely 1699)
