Lagerstroemia Regia. Roxb. [Tagalog: Banaba Tree]

Description

original-colour chromolithograph, EXTREMELY RARE.

Botanical print from ‘Fruits et Feuillages Choisis de la Flore et de la Pomone de L’ile de Java ‘, 1st edition, Chromolithography by G. Severeyns. Berthe Hoola van Hooten was born in Utrecht, Holland in 1817. A botanist, author & watercolourist. She was considered a latter-day Maria Sibylla Merian, accompanied her husband to Jakarta (Batavia), capital of Java, in her early twenties, where she painted over 40 fruits & flowers which became the basis for this album. Her husband soon died, and she was left with debt to pay. She had her paintings commissioned into these stunning prints.
“Van Nooten was clearly more than competent, for the splendid tropical plants… have been depicted with great skill. She managed to accentuate the splendour of each species by adopting a style that combined great precision and clarity with a touch of neo-Baroque exuberance, revelling in the rich forms and colours of the tropics.” (L. Tongiorgi Tomasi: An Oak Spring Flora p.330)