Plate XXXII "The Blue Egyptian Water Lily"  

Robert John Thornton’s Temple of Flora, is the most famous English botanical plate book ever produced. Thornton trained as a physician, but upon inheriting his family's fortune, he chose 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.  Thornton's botanical work was to be a "pictorial celebration" including magnificent images, poetry and verse, of the Linnaean botanical system. Thornton selected exotic plant specimens and placed each in an romantic setting replete with symbolism. He hired the finest aquatint artists, engravers and colorists and opened an art gallery to display the original works. Intending to produce 70 different images, Thornton was not successful at marketing his production and was only able to create 28 different images as costs associated with producing the wildly expensive work brought him to the brink of financial ruin. Each of the 28 engravings are undeniably spectacular images of flowers. Each is a distinctive and evocative description very highly valued by print collectors. This plate features a delicate blue water lily and a distant view of Aboukir Bay and the waters of the Nile where Nelson had just triumphed over Napoleon. Good, clean impressions with well preserved original color such as this are rare.

21 ¼ x 17 1/2 inches, overall.
Pure aquatint after Henderson by Stadler with full original hand color
Professionally surface cleaned and de-acidified. Very good original condition.
Framed to museum specifications.