Vivid Visions: Roezl's Sage and Red Hot Poker in Botanical Art, circa 1875

€ 240

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

Date: 1875
Sheet size: 25 × 17 cm (9.8 × 6.7 in)
Reference: BG-13761-18 and BG-13761-24

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

Very good, given age. General age-related toning and/or occasional minor defects from handling. Please study scan carefully.

About this sheet

Salvia roezlii and the red hot poker, two chromolithographs from Louis van Houtte's Flore des Serres et des Jardins de l'Europe, dated about 1875. The first is lettered "Salvia Roezli Schwl." with the alternative name "Salvia dielytroides Roezl.", the origin "Mexique" and the note "Serre tempérée". The second is lettered "Tritoma uvaria Gawl." with "Kniphofia aloides Moench", the origin "Cap".

The first sheet shows a tall, branching spike of narrow tubular flowers in scarlet, each with a gold and orange calyx at its base, held above velvety, toothed green leaves. The second shows a single large conical flower spike, dense with overlapping orange-red buds that fade to cream and yellow at the base, with one broad green leaf arching over it from the back.

The plates show how the Ghent nursery's series gathered plants from different continents. Salvia roezlii was collected in Mexico by the plant hunter whose name it bears, while Tritoma uvaria, labeled "Cap" for the Cape of Good Hope, comes from South Africa.