Description: Rare 1805 Hand-Colored Copperplate Stipple Engraving from: P L A N T E SDE LA FRANCE DÉCRITESET PEINTES D'APRÈS NATURE PAR M. JAUME SAINT-HILAIRE. SOLEIL À TIGE ROUGEÂTRE. Pl. 19. From "Plantes de la France décrites et peintes d’après nature par M. Jaume Saint-Hilaire." (Translation: Plants of France described and painted from nature by Mr. Jaume Saint-Hilaire) comes this gorgeous botanical plate, an original hand-colored copperplate stipple-engraving. The Artist & Author:Jean Henri Jaume Saint-Hilaire (1772 – 1845) was a French naturalist and artist, born in Grasse, France. He wrote a guide to the new Muséum National d'Histoire Naturelle, and learned floral painting from Gérard van Spaendonck (1746-1822). In 1805 he wrote his first important publication: Exposition des familles naturelles et de la germination des plantes... [An exposition about natural families and the germination of plants, containing the description of 2,337 genera and about 4,000 species, 112 plates whose figures were drawn by the author]. In it, he popularized the classification of Antoine-Laurent de Jussieu (1748-1836).During 1808-1809 and 1819–1822, Jaume published ten volumes about French plants, from whence this plate came: Plantes de la France décrites et peintes d’après nature [French plants described and painted from nature], grouping together one thousand engravings that he had made himself. The Volumes: The first issue of this famous work is illustrated with 400 plates engraved and printed in color after the author’s drawings, depicting the flowers and the plants of France. “The aim of this work is to make known by a figure printed in colour and of natural size all the plants which grow naturally on the soil of France and which are naturalized there; to give an exact description of the general character of the plant and of what it offers the observer in particular; to describe its uses in the arts, in medicine, in the rural and domestic economy, in vegetable gardens or in flowerbeds; and finally to offer a collection of the most generally followed procedures for its successful cultivation ... there is no collection in which so many plants of France and especially figures which are such a satisfactory execution can be found". (Esprit des Journaux Français et étrangers par une société de gens de Lettres, 1811). The 2nd issue was greatly expanded to the 10 volumes. As I understand it, this 2nd issue contained all the original plates of plants & flowers, & also included many fruits, & was titled: LA BOTANIQUE, ou Histoire et Figure en Couleur des Fleurs et des Fruits de France ou Naturalisés sur le Sol Français (BOTANY, or History and Color Figure of the Flowers and Fruits of France or Naturalized on French Soil). Whether this engraving came from the 1st or 2nd set I'm not certain. I will list some fruits I've collected from the 2nd set.A full set of all 10 volumes in this rare quarto-sized version is currently offered for $15,529.40. A full set of just the original 4 volumes, 1st edition, is offered at 29.000 €. The Plate:This one is an especially beautiful print from the set. It appears to be the very rare, larger quarto-sized version. The rendering, composition, engraving & coloring are all superb.These are very limited editions, the plates very beautiful, & quite rare. I find no other copies of this plate offered anywhere.The drawing & coloring are quite stunning. It's a beautiful plate, full of the passion that the early flower painters, botanists & gardeners had for these amazing flowers, many of which were discovered in the pristine reaches of the ever-expanding euro-empire of the era & by intrepid explorers of the time.These gorgeously drawn, engraved & colored 'À la poupée' (colored in the plate) original prints were presented on their page with consistently balanced, beautiful compositions.Every part of these prints was made by hand: Hand drawn & engraved on Copper which was hand-mined, smelted & rolled, printed onto handmade cotton rag paper, inked & colored with hand-ground pigments individually by hand, & they were usually hand sewn into handmade leather-bound books. Condition:Appears to be in good-to-excellent condition for a centuries-old engraving. The hand-coloring appears to remain sharp & brilliant as the day it was painted. Some tiny pinholes as one finds with these, along the top margin.These prints are very old & may have minor imperfections expected with age, such as some typical age-toning of the paper, oxidation of the old original watercolors, spots, text-offsetting, stains, artifacts from having been bound into a book, light pencil markings on the backs or in margins, sometimes even notes by the original owner of the volumes, etc. Please examine the photos & details carefully.Text Page(s): This one comes without its original text page. About this gorgeous flower:I believe this Sunflower depicted here is Helianthus atrorubens a North American species of sunflower known by the common name purpledisc sunflower.It is native to the southeastern United States. It is found in all the coastal states from Louisiana to Virginia, plus the inland states of Kentucky and Tennessee.Helianthus atrorubens is a perennial. It grows as tall as 80 inches. One plant can produce 1-15 flower heads, each with 10-15 yellow ray florets surrounding 75 or more disc florets. Common Name(s): Appalachian Sunflower, Hairy Wood Sunflower, Purpledisc Sunflower, Sunflower. Helianthus atrorubens is found in rocky, clay or sandy soils of woodlands and along road banks. It excels in open woodland gardens, cottage gardens, and mixed perennial beds and attracts bees, butterflies. Woodland birds collect the seed. Size: 10-1/2 x 7" inches approximately.Shipping: Multiple prints combine into one USPS Flat-Rate envelope. If you're assessed multiple shipping for one combined package, we'll endeavor to refund any overage asap. Thanks for Visiting!
Price: 49 USD
Location: Great Barrington, Massachusetts
End Time: 2024-11-05T21:17:09.000Z
Shipping Cost: 8.95 USD
Product Images
Item Specifics
All returns accepted: ReturnsNotAccepted
Artist: Jean Henri Jaume Saint-Hilaire
Image Orientation: Portrait
Size: Quarto
Signed: No
Material: Paper
Region of Origin: Europe
Original/Licensed Reprint: Original
Subject: Botanical, Flowers, France, Gardens, Still Life, Sunflower
Type: Print
Year of Production: 1805
Item Height: 10-1/2"
Style: Natural History, Botanical
Theme: Floral, History, Natural History, Botanical
Features: 1st Edition
Production Technique: Hand-Colored Copperplate Engraving
Country/Region of Manufacture: France
Handmade: Yes
Item Width: 7"
Time Period Produced: 1800-1849