-
Characters of flowers (Characteris plantarum)
Ehret, Georg Dionysus, born 1708 - died 1770 - Enlarge image
Characters of flowers (Characteris plantarum); Plantae et Paliliones Rariores; Abutilon; Convolvulus arvensis; Alsine; Iris
- Object:
Print
- Date:
1748-1759 (published)
- Artist/Maker:
Ehret, Georg Dionysus, born 1708 - died 1770 (artist)
- Materials and Techniques:
Etching, coloured by hand
- Museum number:
E.221H-1887
- Gallery location:
Prints & Drawings Study Room, level F, case TOPIC, shelf DP, box 2
The Plantae et Papiliones Rariores (‘Rare Plants and Butterflies’) is an odd, hybrid work. It is neither a fully scientific botanical book nor a purely decorative publication. It was a personal venture, drawn, etched and published by Ehret himself. It illustrated plants that would have been unfamiliar to a general audience at the time. This plate is a pseudo-scientific table showing the various parts of dissected flowers. But it is presented in a trompe-l'oeil style, as if overlaid by botanical prints or drawings. Ehret was one of the most gifted botanical illustrators of the 18th century. Many of his illustrations are in the V&A collections.
