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| A Selction from Dr.
Robert Thornton's TEMPLE OF FLORA Dr. Robert Thornton was a lecturer on medical botany at both Guy's and St. Thomas's hospitals. He published many of his own works including the "New Illustration of the Sexual System of Linnaeus" which culminated in the magnificent volume of colour plates entitled The Temple of Flora. Thornton devoted his modest fortune to this publication, which he vowed would be the most magnificent botanical work ever produced. The resultant plates are quite breathtaking: colour printed mezzotints and stipple engravings depicting both familiar and unusual plants set against romantic landscapes. Sadly, the expense involved in producing the Temple of Flora reduced Thornton to bankruptcy as he relied upon subscriptions that were not forthcoming. In an attempt to recoup some of his losses he published a smaller edition of the work and arranged a 'lottery' for 6th May 1813 at which the original paintings were offered as prizes. Unfortunately the lottery was also undersubscribed and, despite his affluent past, Thornton died penniless in 1837. He left behind what is arguably the finest botanical work ever to be printed in England. The plates are mixed-method engravings, printed in colours and hand finished, separately issued in London by Thornton between 1799 and 1807, when the complete volume was issued.. |
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| John GOULD Birds of Australia Lithographs in original hand colour These plates were drawn and lithographed by J. Gould and H. C. Richter and appeared in Gould's famous ornithological collection, The Birds of Australia, published in London between 1840 and 1869.
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