Citrus
Print
1770-1777 (published)
1770-1777 (published)
| Artist/Maker | |
| Place of origin |
Miller's book, An Illustration to the Sexual System of Linnaeus (1770-7), was an attempt to explain and promote the system of classification devised by the famous botanist Carl Linnaeus. This was based on the number and relation of the reproductive parts of flowers. The book was published in various combinations of plates, coloured and uncoloured. This is one of several proof plates, printed before the lettering was added. Miller's publication gives in a single plate a complete account of the plant's habit, structure and life cycle. Linnaeus himself praised the illustrations extravagantly as 'the most beautiful and accurate . . . since the beginning of the world'.
Object details
| Categories | |
| Object type | |
| Title | Citrus (generic title) |
| Materials and techniques | Engraving, coloured by hand |
| Brief description | Botanical illustration, Citrus by artist John Miller, plate from An Illustration of the Sexual System of Linnaeus, published in parts in London between 1770 and 1777, engraving, coloured by hand; British. |
| Physical description | Engraving of a botanical illustration of citrus, depicting a brown branch with stems of green leaves, flowers and fruit. The flowers feature white petals surrounding the yellow stamen in the centre. The fruit is shown in green where it is not yet ripened, and orange where it is, a depiction of one cut in half is also depicted on the right. At the bottom of the sheet there are several smaller depictions of details of the internal parts of the flower and seeds. |
| Dimensions |
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| Subjects depicted | |
| Summary | Miller's book, An Illustration to the Sexual System of Linnaeus (1770-7), was an attempt to explain and promote the system of classification devised by the famous botanist Carl Linnaeus. This was based on the number and relation of the reproductive parts of flowers. The book was published in various combinations of plates, coloured and uncoloured. This is one of several proof plates, printed before the lettering was added. Miller's publication gives in a single plate a complete account of the plant's habit, structure and life cycle. Linnaeus himself praised the illustrations extravagantly as 'the most beautiful and accurate . . . since the beginning of the world'. |
| Bibliographic reference | Miller, John. An Illustration of the Sexual System of Linnaeus. London, issued in parts between 1770-1777 and as a folio edition in 1779. |
| Collection | |
| Accession number | E.42-1892 |
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| Record created | February 21, 2004 |
| Record URL |
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