Fabulous Fungi engraving, Boletus Imbriata. Flora Londinensis c1820

by Hooker, William Jackson

Beautiful antique print of Fungi and dissection detail c1820.

Original hand-coloured copperplate engraving of Boletus Imbriata for “Flora Londinensis; containing a history of the plants indigenous to Great Britain, illustrated by figures of the natural size” published in London between 1817 and 1828 by George Graves F.L.S. and eminent English botanist (Sir) William Jackson Hooker (1785-1865). This spectacular series of engravings were reissued from the incomplete work c1775-1779 by William Curtis (1746-1799).

Flora Londinensis was the grandest work of botanical illustration by William Curtis who intended to illustrate all the plants and shrubs that grew within a hundred mile radius of London. Curtis was unable to complete the monumental work owing to lack of funds. Graves and Hooker used the original engraved plates, and re-engraved the latter ones that had been reduced to smaller than life-size in an effort to meet the limited budget available to Curtis.

As each specimen was engraved as close to life-size as possible, the plate marks varied in size for these beautiful plates of flora and their dissections. The image measures approximately 33 x 24cm (13 x 9.5 inches). Page size is 480 x 285mm (19.75 x 11.25 inches).