Strelitzia Reginae, Banks, Var. Lemoinierii, Miellez. [Bird of Paradise]

Description

original-coloured lithograph. RARE.

Beautiful botanical print from Louis Van Houtte’s monumental work entitled ‘Flore des serres et des jardins de l’Europe’ (Flowers of the Greenhouses and Gardens of Europe), with more than 200 coloured plates, standing out as among the finest examples of contemporary printmaking, combining the great artistic and intellectual skill of the various compilers. Van Houtte was considered one of the premier horticulturists of his day and served as the chief editor for this work in co-ordination with Charles Lemaire, the prominent French botanist and engraver for Redouté, and the German botanist and taxonomist Michael Scheidweiler. Van Houtte owned several nurseries and greenhouses where many of the plants and flowers depicted in ‘Flore des Serres’ were actually cultivated. These plates in essence acted as his catalogue, and thus feature what were the most desirable botanicals of the time. Orchids, roses, camellias, carnivorous plants, and tropical or exotic flowers were particularly shown in the work.