Australian Embothrium lineare. (Grevillea linearifolia). Rare antique print c1803.

by Andrews, Henry

Embothrium lineare (with dissections), "Published as the Act Directs January 1 1802 by H. Andrews 5 Knightsbridge.

Joseph Banks and Daniel Solander with Lt. James Cook in 1770 were the first Europeans to collect Proteaceae specimens from Australia. Opinion on their classification was divided. Named Embothriums, with the South American genus created in 1776 by father and son botanists J.R & J.G.A. Forster - they were later reclassified as Grevillea linearifolia.

In the Preface to English botanist, Henry Andrews's first publication of The Botanist's Repository, comprising colour'd engravings of new and rare plants only, Andrews noted that he was "satisfied, nothing contributed so much to repress the ardour of young botanists as the difficulty of affixing the right name to those plants, which, (from a captious desire in every publisher, to foist in something of his own coinage, upon the most trifling supposed difference,) have undergone several changes of title."

Beautiful, rare finely engraved and contemporary-coloured copperplate engraving by Henry C. Andrews (Henry Cranke Andrews) (1770-1830), for his The Botanist’s Repository, comprising colour’d engravings of new and rare plants only published in London between 1797 and 1815. Andrews drew, engraved and coloured 664 botanical specimens, most of which were quite different from any previously seen in Britain. They included many exotic species from Australia and South Africa - including this Australian beauty, Plate 272. Andrews printed from engraved plates that were almost as large as the page so page edges are imperfect. The plates were printed by T. Bensley and published by Andrews. 

The right edge of the page has slight damage and there are a couple of foxing spots. There is oxidation of the early ochres through to the rear of the page - after all it is nearly 220 years old. There is also rear evidence of previous framing.
Page size is 27 x 21cm.