Japan Apple-Tree. Curtis antique hand-coloured engraving c1803.

by Edwards, Sydenham

Antique Print of the Japan Apple Tree. Curtis engraving c1803.

Original hand-coloured copperplate engraving by Francis Sansom after a drawing by the eminent Welsh botanical illustrator Sydenham Edwards for “The Botanical Magazine; or Flower-Garden Displayed” published in London circa 1803 by T. Curtis. Illustrations for "The Botanical Magazine" have been revered for their scientific accuracy, and the natural pigments used in the early engravings have survived over two hundred years, ensuring their beauty endures today.

Publication of "The Botanical Magazine" was begun in 1787 by William Curtis (1746-1799) Praefectus Hortis of Chelsea Physic Garden in London, “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 over 222 years, - now as “The Kew Magazine”.

Foxing on the left of this page does not detract from the beauty of the engraving. Size of page 23 x 15 cm (9 x 6 inches).