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[La Court van der Voort, Pieter de:] Les agrémens de
la campagne, ou remarques particulières sur la construction des
maisons de campagne plus ou moins magnifiques; des jardins de plaisance,
& des plantages, avec les ornemens qui en dépendent: tant pour les
bâtir avec tout l’avantage possible, que pour en préparer les fonds,
et corriger les défauts, les planter de bons arbres fruitiers &
autres pour former de belles allées, & enfin pour y pratiquer avec
succès de grands reservoirs d’eau, des canaux & des viviers. On y a
ajouté un traité touchant la manière de couper & de multiplier les
arbres fruitiers & sauvages, avec une description exacte des moyens qu’il
faut employer pour avoir chaque année beaucoup de raisins en plein air,
ou pour en faire venir de précoces dans des serres artificiellement
échaufées, soit par le feu ou autrement. On y apprend encore comment on
peut cultiver & multiplier, dans ce païs froid, les ananas, les
citroniers, les limoniers, les orangers, & autres plantes des climats
chauds. On y trouve de plus une instruction sur la manière de construire
les thermomètres nécessaires en pareils cas; avec des observations sur
la culture des fruits de terre & des légumes, &c. &c. Le tout
orné des planches nécessaires, & fondé sur l’expérience &
sur des observations faites avec soin pendant l’espace de cinquante ans. Leyde [Leiden], Samuel Luchtmans & Amsterdam, Meynard Uytwerf, 1750], pp. xxiv, [vii], 412, (32), 1 text-illustration and 15 folding (except 1) engraved plates, 4to (195 x 248 mm), mottled calf, spine with raised bands and richly gilt-decorated with morocco label. Small tears in a few plates. Unfortunately the larger part of the title-page is torn out (supplied in photocopy). Otherwise a fine copy.
€ 1.700
"Pieter de la Court van der Voort [1664-1739], a cloth merchant at Leiden
discusses in this book theoretical aspects of garden design. He published the
book very late in his career, but practised his ideas certainly before 1700 at
his estate 'Allemansgeest' (todays 'Berbice') at Voorschoten near Leiden. His
father Pieter de la Court (1618-1685) was an influential politician who also had
a taste for gardening. Besides a theoretical treatise De la Court also gives
much practical information on gardening. He discusses amply the cultivation of
the pineapple, one of his favourite subjects. He grew these plants in quantities
and kept them during the winter in a heated glasshouse and in summer in the 'tan
frame'. ... It is sometimes believed that Pieter de la Court sr. popularized
pineapple growing in his day. This seems most unlikely as by the time of his
death in 1685, the necessary facilities were hardly available, and the
production of only a single fruit was nothing short of a miracle ..."
(Wijnands). "The book of Pieter de la Court published after 50 years of
experience in 1737, has a very long title, though with its accurate descriptions
of the construction of greenhouses as well as the cultivation of pineapples, it
seems to me to be one of the most important books of the 18th century concerning
protected cultivation. Knoop also mentioned that Court was the inventer of the
lean-to house" (Muijzenberg). There are several editions of this work in Dutch
(1737, 1763, 1766) and translations in German (1758) and in French (1750). The
fine plates are by J.C. Philips and Jan Wandelaar (9 of citrus fruit, pineapples
and a tuberose), J. v.d. Spyk, F. van Bleyswyck and unsigned (6 of a garden plan
and greenhouses).* Springer pp. 42-43; Erwin W.B. van den Muijzenberg: A history of greenhouses p. 103; The Anglo-Dutch garden in the age of William and Mary (D. Onno Wijnands) 129. www.meemelink.com | gardening |