Johann Christophe Volckamer. ...Garden... St. Georgenberg. Nuremberg, 1708-1718. $600.00

Die Hoch Furstliche Residentz zu Passau auf den St. Georgenberg."

Volckamer was a wealthy Nuremberg merchant. He was part of the new monied class of gentlemen who could afford to maintain hothouses where they grew tropical plants year round despite the harsh winters of northern Europe.  Volckamer was the editor of the famous work, Nurnbergische Hesperides  published in Nuremberg between 1708 and 1714.  Many aspects of the style of Volckamer's engravinger's (Paul Decker, B. Kenkel, I.C. Steinberger, Delsenbach, T.G. Beckh, Krieger, F.P. Lindner et al. (after) L.C. Glotsch, J.C. Dehne, Montalegre, et al)  work exhibit their familiarity with the monograph on citrus produced by Giovanni Ferrari half a century before, but Volckamer also included remarkable backgrounds,  the hallmark of his work. His team of artists and engravers presented monumentally scaled prize varieties of fruit floating above far distant yet beautifully detailed landscapes of idealized European palaces, gardens and bucolic views. The striking images are appreciated by modern day collectors for their unusual compositions as well as for their value as records of garden plans.

This engraving shows the St. Georgenberg-Fiecht Abbey, which was erected in 1708 as a Benedictine monastery on a 10th century pilgrimage site.

14 x 17 inches, sheet.
Engraving.
Excellent condition.