Included in the images are a couple of pages of history on William Curtis & the Botanical Magazine, from the Curtis Museum (https://www.hampshireculture.org.uk/curtis-museum).

This plate is one of the classics of the Curtis volumes. This one is likely a First Edition print, which are generally very rare. Appears to be on the original wove paper, which came to be used in the early years of the 1800's.

The publication:  The "Botanical Magazine" was first published in 1787 by William Curtis (1746-1799). After the death of William Curtis, the magazine was published by his brother, Thomas Curtis. Later, Samuel Curtis (a son-in-law of William Curtis) became proprietor from 1801 to 1845. The prints in the first volumes were copper plates colored by hand. Some of the later prints were lithographs.

Some of the distinguished artists were Sydenham Edwards, John Curtis, William Jackson Hooker, W.H. Fitch, William Graves and Matilda Smith. These prints have a universal beauty and are a lasting documentary contribution to botanical studies.

The Artists: This one is signed for both the publisher S. Curtis (in Walworth), & engraver ("sc"), engraved by 'F. Sansom Sc.' (Francis Sansom, active 1785-1799).

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 British Empire & by intrepid explorers of the time.

These gorgeously drawn, engraved & water-colored 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 excellent condition. The hand-coloring remains sharp & brilliant. The folds in this one are as-issued, they are in all copies I've seen of this plate as it's a 'fold-out', much larger than the rest which were octavo-sized bookplates.

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, artifacts from having been bound into a book, etc. Please examine the photos & details carefully.

Text Page(s): This one comes with the original text page.

About this gorgeous fruiting plant:

• The pineapple (now calles Ananas comosus) is a tropical plant with an edible fruit; it is the most economically significant plant in the family Bromeliaceae (Bromiliads)
• It is indigenous to South America, where it has been cultivated for many centuries
• The introduction of the pineapple to Europe in the 17th century made it a significant cultural icon of luxury. Since the 1820s, pineapple has been commercially grown in greenhouses and many tropical plantations
• The wild plant originates from the Paraná–Paraguay River drainages between southern Brazil and Paraguay. Little is known about its domestication, but it spread as a crop throughout South America. Archaeological evidence of use is found as far back as 1200–800 BC (3200–2800 BP) in Peru and 200 BC – 700 AD (2200–1300 BP) in Mexico, where it was cultivated by the Mayas and the Aztecs
• Columbus first brought the plant back to Spain and called it piña de Indes, meaning "pine of the Indians"

Size: 9 x 11-1/2 inches approximately.

Shipping: Multiple prints combine into one USPS Flat-Rate envelope. If you'd like to combine & need more time to choose, please send a message & we'll do our best to oblige. If you're assessed multiple shipping for one combined package, we'll endeavor to refund any overage asap.

Thanks for Visiting!