| Ranunculaceae - Aquilegia (varieties) From: The garden. An illustrated weekly journal of horticulture in all its branches by William Robinson (editor). London, 1884, July - December, volume 26, plate 461. Chromolithograph (sheet 217 x 280 mm). Illustrated text enclosed. € 95
All
gardeners owe an infinite debt of gratitude to William Robinson - founder of
The Garden (1871-1927) and Flora and Sylva (1903-05), and author of
The English Flower Garden (1883, etc.) and other works - who helped to
break the tyranny of formal bedding and, like Ruskin, drew attention to the
beauties of the wild garden. Among the artists whom he employed was Henry Moon,
who struck a new and personal, if not entirely healthy, note in botanical
illustration. … (Blunt & Stearn). From 1880 Henry George Moon’s plant portraits
dominated the pages of The Garden, a popular horticultural publication.
Renowned for his lifelike paintings of orchids, Moon appealed to Robinson
because of his ability to sketch flowers in a graceful, naturalistic style. The
subtle colourings of his paintings and simple arrangement of flowers were very
unlike the more stylised renderings that appeared in competitors’ publications.
The beautiful colour-plates were lithographed and printed by the Belgian firms
G. Severeyns and J.L. Goffart, notable for their craftmanship.* Blunt & Stearn pp. 239-240; Nissen BBI 2264; B-P-H 391-10. www.meemelink.com · index · Ranunculaceae |