FINE ANTIQUE PRINTS

Robert John Thornton’s The Temple of Flora is the most famous English botanical plate book ever produced. Thornton trained as a physician, but when he inherited his family’s fortune, he decided to leave his mark on the world by creating an ambitious series of botanical publications dedicated to the work of the Swedish botanist Carl Linnaeus. Linnaeus had revolutionized the world of science in 1735 by developing an entirely new classification system for plants and animals. The golden age of plant illustration followed his discoveries. Thornton’s botanical work was to be a “pictorial celebration” including magnificent images, poetry and verse, of the Linnaean botanical system.

The subjects of the flower paintings and the subsequent engravings were exotic specimens placed in romanticized settings replete with symbolism. Thornton hired the finest aquatint artists, engravers and colorists and opened an art gallery to display the original works. He intended to produce 70 different images but Thornton lacked marketing skills and the cost of producing the wildly expensive work brought him to the edge of financial ruin. He succeeded in producing 28 undeniably spectacular prints. Each is a distinctive and evocative image very highly valued by print collectors.

As Ronald King describes: “Cultivated first in Turkey and adjacent countries, the tulip was brought to the West in the 16th century and was by some at first thought to be an edible bulb. Its decorative qualities and the ease with which new varieties could be bred, soon brought it such popularity that it gave rise in the 17th century to a craze in Holland afterwards named ‘tulipmania’, in which fantastic prices were paid for individual bulbs. Fortunes were made and lost and at least one individual committed suicide as a result of this foolish scramble, which collapsed in 1637. Thornton gives some examples of comparatively high prices which reigned in his day, saying that ‘even in England, at this time, the”Louis” (which is the top flower in this picture) ‘sells for 40 guineas and the “Washington” for ten!’

In the group displayed, the top flower is a variety named “Louis XVI’, that on the left top is “La Triomphe Royale”, on the right at the top is ‘Duchesse of Devonshire’, while near the middle of the group is ‘General Washington’. The three below are from left to right, ‘Gloria Mundi’, ‘La Majestieuse’ and ‘Earle Spencer’. The group was painted by Philip Renagle and engraved by Earlom in mezzotint and is a magnificent example of the brilliance of Thornton’s oeuvre.”

Reference: King, Ronald. The Temple of Flora. New York Graphic Society, Boston, 1981, p 66.
Aquatint, mezzotint and line engraving, full original hand color. Excellent condition.
22.5 x 217.5 inches, sheet size.
Archivally framed with carved gold leaf molding, 28 x 24.5 inches finished dimensions.