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Basilius Besler. Florilegium. The Book of Plants

Basilius Besler. Florilegium. The Book of Plants in Bloomington, MN
Current price: $25.00
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A magnificent pictorial document of the flowers grown in the
greatest German garden of its time
, the
Hortus Eystettensis
is in a class of its own when it comes to
the range of flowers engraved
.
First published in 1613, the 367 copperplate engravings by
Basilius Besler
(1561–1629) capture the spectacular diversity of the palatial gardens of Prince-Bishop Johann Konrad von Gemmingen (1593/95–1612) in Eichstätt, Bavaria, Germany. The meticulous illustrations are organized according to the four seasons, and, following the classification system used today, show plants belonging to a
total of 90 families and covering 340 genera
. The whole collection is regarded as one of the finest treasures of botanical literature; it was described by Carl Linnaeus, the legendary 18th-century botanist and zoologist, as an
“incomparable work.”
Besler’s pictorial catalog long outlived the gardens, which were destroyed in 1634 by invading Swedish troops. In auction, the
asking price for a first-edition copy of
is now more than half a million dollars
. With this edition, TASCHEN opens up the garden to a much wider audience: a rich and beautiful record, destined to keep the garden’s beauty in bloom.
greatest German garden of its time
, the
Hortus Eystettensis
is in a class of its own when it comes to
the range of flowers engraved
.
First published in 1613, the 367 copperplate engravings by
Basilius Besler
(1561–1629) capture the spectacular diversity of the palatial gardens of Prince-Bishop Johann Konrad von Gemmingen (1593/95–1612) in Eichstätt, Bavaria, Germany. The meticulous illustrations are organized according to the four seasons, and, following the classification system used today, show plants belonging to a
total of 90 families and covering 340 genera
. The whole collection is regarded as one of the finest treasures of botanical literature; it was described by Carl Linnaeus, the legendary 18th-century botanist and zoologist, as an
“incomparable work.”
Besler’s pictorial catalog long outlived the gardens, which were destroyed in 1634 by invading Swedish troops. In auction, the
asking price for a first-edition copy of
is now more than half a million dollars
. With this edition, TASCHEN opens up the garden to a much wider audience: a rich and beautiful record, destined to keep the garden’s beauty in bloom.