Besler Deluxe Ed. Pl. 248, Castor bean, Marsh gentian, Grass-of-Parnassus

Name: Besler Deluxe Ed. Pl. 248, Castor bean, Marsh gentian, Grass-of-Parnassus
Brand: Inc.
SKU: BESD-248
Availability: InStock

$2,500.00

Original Engraving | circa 1613 | 22 x 16.5 inches

SKU: BESD-248 Category: Hortus Eystettensis - Deluxe Edition - Antique Originals Tags: Basilius Besler, Botanical Art, Hand-colored engraving, Hortus Eystettensis

The 17th-century engraving Besler Deluxe Ed. Pl. 248, Castor bean, Marsh gentian, Grass-of-Parnassus delicately captures the details of the blossoming botanical.

Elegantly engraved on laid paper, this 17th-century print has a tactile quality that is emphasized by the paper texture, raised linework, and platemark. As part of the oldest and most costly florilegium, Hortus Eystettensis, this print is a valuable piece of history and an enchanting addition to antique and contemporary spaces alike.

About Besler’s Hortus Eystettensis

First published in 1613 by Nuremberg apothecary Basilius Besler, the monumental florilegium Hortus Eystettensis artistically records the flowering contents of the Garden of Eichstätt. Cultivated by Prince-Bishop Johann Konrad von Gemmingen at his Bavarian residence, this garden boasted local and exotic flora from all over the known world. Besler’s folio constitutes 367 exquisitely engraved and lavishly colored plates that capture over 1,000 plant varietals cultivated in the garden. Rendered on large sheets of 22 ½ x 18 inch paper, Besler’s engravings emphasize the ornate qualities of the plants as he traces their progression throughout the seasonal calendar. The first edition of Besler’s Hortus Eystettensis can be distinguished from the Deluxe through the calligraphic text on the verso and no watermark in the paper.

About Basilius Besler

Basilius Besler was a Nuremberg apothecary who created one of the first great botanical folios, Hortus Eystettensis (Garden of Eichstätt), in 1613. Working at a time when botanical illustrations were used primarily to identify plants for medicinal purposes, Besler created a monumental florilegium that prioritized the beauty of the plants over their pharmacological usefulness. As a result, Besler’s Hortus Eystettensis acts as a transitional fulcrum in the history of botanical art between the association of plants as medicine to plants as objects of beauty.

For more information about Besler Deluxe Ed. Pl. 248, Castor bean, Marsh gentian, Grass-of-Parnassus, email us at [email protected] or check out our articles Basilius Besler’s Hortus Eystettensis or Garden of Eichstätt and How to Distinguish Between the Various Editions of Besler’s ‘Garden of Eichstätt’.

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Weight	0.25 lbs
Dimensions	22 × 16.5 × 0.125 in
Artist	Basilius Besler
Publication Title	Hortus Eystettensis – Deluxe Edition
Type of Artwork	Antique Original
Medium	Hand-colored Engraving
Creation Date	1613
Orientation	Vertical
Subject	Botanicals

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