This plate is one of the classics of the Curtis volumes & likely a First Edition print, which are generally very rare. Appears to be on the original wove paper. This print seems to have become very scarce in the market, I'm finding no other antique originals available.

The publication:  The "Botanical Magazine" was first published in 1787 by William Curtis (1746-1799). After William Curtis passed, 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 plate was engraved & hand-colored after a painting by Sydenham Edwards & is signed by 'S. Edwards del.' (Sydenham Teak Edwards, 1768 - 1819) as well as the engraver, '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, near pristine condition for a centuries-old engraving. The hand-coloring appears to remain sharp & brilliant as the day it was painted.

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 its original text page.

About this gorgeous flower:

• Nerine humilis, commonly known as dwarf nerine, is a species of flowering plant in the subfamily Amaryllidoideae of the family Amaryllidaceae, native to the Cape of South Africa.
• This plant has been given the Royal Horticultural Society’s Award of Garden Merit.
• There is a legend that a consignment of Nerine sarniensis bulbs (another Cape species), destined for Holland, washed up on the shores of Guernsey in the Channels Islands in 1659 as a result of a Dutch or English shipwreck, and apparently these plants flourished there. 
• named it for Nerine, a guardian sea nymph sent by the Roman goddess Venus to rescue Vasco da Gama's armada en route to India. 
• The family name Amaryllidaceae is from Amaryllus who was a pretty shepherdess mentioned by Theocritus, Virgil and Ovid. Edmund Spenser used the name in 1595 for Alice, an ancestress of the Princess of Wales. The species name humilis refers to the low-growing (dwarf) nature of most forms of this species.

Size: 5 1/2 x 9" 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.

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