Below, you'll
find extensive information on leading interior design books articles and
products to help you on your way to success.
Botanical Prints For Scientific Research And Collecting
By Gary Prestwich, Fri Dec 9th
/p> Botanical prints have a wonderful dual purpose: they are lovelyaesthetic pieces, akin to fine art, but also have the meticulousdetail necessary for science. Botanical prints often reflect the preoccupations of societyduring the time in which they were created. For example 'tulipmania' swept through Holland in the 17th century, making prizetulip bulbs, and prints illustrating the bulbs, sought-aftercommodities. Fanciful British gardens cultivated in the 18thcentury were expertly rendered by a well-known Dutch flowerartist, Jan Van Huysum. Beginning in the early 17th century, European artists andscientists undertook massive projects to collect, capture andcatalogue nature and its astonishing variety. Hortus Eysttensiswas the first major collection of botanical illustrations; itwas published in 1613 by Basilius Besler. At least 10 engraversworked under Besler's supervision to complete the 16-yearproject, which documented the breathtaking gardens of the PrinceBishop of Eichstätt, in Germany.
In the eighteenth century, Johann Wilhelm Weinmann and a scoreof others worked on illustrations to introduce exotic plants toEngland. Examples of these exotics include the banana tree andlists of imported and domestic plants that were used in herbalremedies. The 19th century saw the printing and distribution by Americanpublisher Currier and Ives of a popular arrangement of stilllife floral bouquets. Many of the original lithographs andprints created by Currier and Ives remain available for
viewingin prominent museums in the United States. Botanical prints are considered a fusion of art and science, andthere are many books and websites today that detail thescientific importance of these prints. With such a wide varietyof plant species, many still undiscovered and unnamed, it isvital to have a complete record of plant life as it has appearedin history. The scientific community generally accepts the ideathat plants hold the secret to powerful medicines that will beused to control or cure many of today's diseases and illnessesand botanical prints provide a means of recording where certainplants were used in the past and when. However, beyond their scientific value, botanical prints arealso prized by collectors. Significant pieces, such as thosefeatured in Hortus Eysttensis, can range in price from$1,800-$6,200 (USD). As in most cases, the prints in the Hortusseries survive the garden, which was destroyed by Swedish troopsin 1634. A reconstruction of the original garden opened in tothe public in Eichstätt in 1998. Interior designers also value botanical prints for their beautyand delicate colour, although the prints used in homes and otherdecorated buildings tend to be reprints collected andphotocopied from old books. Visit BotanicalPrints.Com About the author:Gary Prestwich has studied Horticulture, Agronomy, Plant andSoil Science and has specialised in the study of plant pests anddiseases. The information that he has gathered has been madeavailable through his informational websites. Find out more athttp://www.justbotanicalprints.com
|
