This plate is one of the classics of the Curtis volumes & likely a First Edition print, which are generally very rare. It's apparently become very scarce, I find no other original, antique imprints of this plate anywhere online.

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 is signed by Sydenham Edwards (Sydenham Teak Edwards, 1768 - 1819), who made the original painting of this plant, & the copperplate was perhaps engraved by him as well.

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 good-to-excellent 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:

• Now known as Iris japonica, commonly known as fringed iris, shaga and butterfly flower, is a native of China and Japan. It is a species in the genus Iris, in the subgenus Limniris and within the Lophiris section.
• It is a rhizomatous perennial plant, with pale blue, lavender or white flowers with an orange or yellow crest. It is cultivated as an ornamental plant in temperate regions.
• It is written as 蝴蝶花 in Chinese script,[3] and known as hu die hua in Pidgin in China.[3] It is written as シ ャ ガ, 射干 in Japanese script.
• The Latin specific epithet japonica refers to from Japan, even though the plant is thought to have originated in China.
• Iris japonica was first named by Carl Peter Thunberg, (the Swedish botanist) in his 1784 publication, 'Flora Japonica'. It was introduced to Europe in 1792 from China, by Thomas Evans of the East India Company. It was then first published and described by Thunberg in Transactions of the Linnean Society of London (Trans. Linn. Soc. London) Volume 2 page 327 on 1 May 1794.
• The species description was published in Curtis Botanical Magazine in 1797 (This print!)
• It has received an Award of Garden Merit from the RHS.

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.

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