The Art of Botanical Illustration
A delight for flower lovers, art lovers and specialists, this beautifully illustrated survey of botanical illustration, primarily of flowers, includes twice as many color plates as the long out-of-print 1950 edition. Beginning with a look at the depiction of plants in antiquity, medieval herbals and flower studies by Leonardo da Vinci and Albrecht Durer, the text demonstrates how both scientific botany and floriculture caused the art and craft of botanical illustration to blossom in England, France, Germany and Holland. A prime example is English artist Robert Thornton's engravings for his magnificent folio volume The Temple of Flora (1799-1807), which brought him immortality and financial ruin. This revised edition includes greatly expanded coverage of 20th-century works from South Africa, Australia and Britain. Stearn is a botanist formerly with the British Museum; the late Blunt was a curator and artist.Copyright 1994 Cahners Business Information, Inc.