Temple of Flora, or, Garden of the botanist, poet, painter, and philosopher
By: [Doctor Thornton].
Publisher: Dr. Thornton
Published: 1812
Place of publication: [London
Language: eng
Number of pages: 155
Subjects: Flowers -- Pictorial works.; Botanical illustration.; Flowers -- Poetry.
Other titles: Temple of Flora.; Garden of the botanist, poet, painter, and philosopher.
Notes: A digital reproduction is available from the University of Wisconsin Digital Collections (UWDC).
The t.p. is engraved and on 2 successive leaves.
Most of the 31 plates are dated, with dates from Jul. 1, 1811, to Jan. 1, 1812 (one plate is dated Jan. 1, 1811, perhaps an engraving error for 1812).
The col. plates are hand-colored aquatints and mezzotints.
The Temple of Flora was originally published in a larger format than found in this, the so-called "quarto" edition, as the third part of Thornton's A new illustration of the sexual system of Carolus von Linnaeus.  This ed., for which the plates were re-engraved with some changes, includes all the col. ill. of the original ed. except the group of four auriculas and the white lily.  Included in this ed. only is the plate "Artichoke Protea."  The plate "Aesculapius, Flora, Ceres, and Cupid Honouring the Bust of Linnaeus" is not colored in this ed., nor is "Cupid Inspiring the Plants with Love."  Included in both editions is the col. plate "Flora Dispensing Her Favours on the Earth," although it is not listed in the contents for the original ed. Cf. Ronald King's introd. to his 1981 re-issue of the original plates (published as: The temple of Flora / by Robert Thornton ; introduction by Ronald King.  London : Weidenfeld & Nicolson, c1981); according to him the 1812 ed. is artistically much inferior to the original.
Source: Gift of Flora Thornton (Mrs. Charles B. Thornton), Feb. 4, 1986.