JACQUIN, Nicolaus Joseph, Baron von (1727-1817)

Rosa Semperflorens

Vienna: 1797-1804. Copper engraving with lovely early colour. Hightened with irridescence. Printed on laid paper. Plate 281. In perfect condition. Image size: 16 1/2 x 9 3/4 inches. Sheet size: 19 x 13 inches. Plate mark: 16 3/4 x 10 1/4 inches.

A stunning botanical print of a fairy rose, from Jacquin's seminal book on the royal garden at Schonbrunn.

In 1752, the Dutch physician and botanist Gerard van Swieten, an old friend of Jacquin's father, invited the young Nikolaus, aged 25 at the time, to come and study in Vienna. Brought about by the recent bankruptcy of Jacquin Sr., this gesture of kindness bore immediate fruit, as the young man showed such great promise in his botanical studies that he attracted the interest of Franz I, Maria Theresa's husband, while working in the Schönbrunn gardens. The Emperor soon commissioned him to produce a systematic catalogue of the plants in the gardens, and in 1754, asked him to voyage to the West Indies to collect tropical plant specimens and live animals for the gardens at Schönbrunn and the royal menagerie. Under Jacquin's direction the garden at Schönbrunn became the most celebrated botanical garden of the time. This exquisite plate depicting the fairy rose, is from Jacquin's seminal text, Plantarum Rariorum Horti Caesarei Schönbrunnensis Descriptiones et Icones. Comprised of five hundred finely drawn botanical studies, the text provides an extensive catalogue of the various species growing in the Schönbrunn gardens.

Dunthorne 156; Nissen BBI 978; Pritzel 4372; Stafleu & Cowan TL2 3255.

Item #17047

Price: $750.00