Hortus Eystettensis Botanical Lithograph

Item Details

A hand-colored botanical engraving from Hortus Eystettensis by Basilicus Besler. Besler (1561-1629) was a botanist for Johann Konrad von Gemmingen, the Prince Bishop of Eichstätt, Bavaria. The bishop commissioned Besler’s magnum opus, the Hortus Eystettensis in 1613 but did not live to see its completion just sixteen years later. This seminal codex artistically cataloged hundreds of species with nearly life-sized, realistic illustrations. Grouped according to seasons, this engraving is from Besler’s catalog of summer plants. The engraving depicts ‘Lilium Purpureum maus Dodanei’ (Lily) in two parts, the flowering aspect and the bulb and stem aspect.. The engraving is matted under glass with a green and gold wood frame. The area inside the plate marks is tinted a light beige. The plate marks measure approximately 16.5’’ x 19’’, slightly larger than first edition strikes. The prints are on wove paper, further indicating that these are not originals; rather, these are more likely to have been created in the 20th century.

Condition

Please note that the frame was opened from the back to verify plate marks.

Dimensions

Item #

15LEX018-351