William Curtis exquisite Snowdrop botanical engraving, Vernal Bulbocodium, c1791

by William Curtis

William Curtis hand-coloured antique print, Colchinum Bulbocodium Vernum. Botanical illustration of a rare bulb and flower from the mountains of Spain - similar in appearance to a crocus, but with a bulb like that of a Snowdrop.

Original hand-coloured copperplate engraving c1791 for William Curtis's second edition of The Botanical Magazine; or Flower-Garden Displayed. Illustrations for The Botanical Magazine have always been revered - for their scientific accuracy as well as their beauty.

In 1787 when he was Praefectus Hortis (Horticultural Manager) of Chelsea Physic Garden in London, William Curtis (1746-1799) began publication of The Botanical Magazine “in response.. to solicitations for a work... (combining) Botany and Gardening”. Illustrating botanical specimens from around the world, this publication has been published continuously for nearly 240 years. It is now known as Kew Magazine”.

Exquisitely engraved and hand-coloured, this page is in excellent condition.
Size of page is approximately 235 x 140mm (9 1/4 x 5 1/2 inches).