One from a collection of German hand-colored copper engravings by Basilius Besler (1561-1629) from Hortus Eystettensis which were first published at Eichstatt in 1613. These are from the 2nd printing which can be verified by the writing on the verso. Besler worked on the drawings for 16 years though the major part of the engraving seems to have been done between 1610 and 1612. At least six engravers, of whom the most important was Wolfgang Kilian (1581-1662) of Augsburg, collaborated in making the 374 plates, upon which are portrayed more than 1,000 flowers representing 667 species.

The engravings were recently hand-colored in the traditional method.

The engravings are priced individually.

Provenance
Germany
Private Collection, London, England
Mary Helen McCoy Fine Antiques, Memphis, Tennessee

Literature
Blunt & Stearn, The Art of Botanical Illustration, pp. 106-107