![L'HÉRITIER de Brutelle, Charles Louis (1746-1800). Stirpes novae, aut minus cognitae, quas descriptionibus et iconibus illustravit. Paris: Philippe-Dionysius Pierres, 1784-1785 [-1791].](https://www.christies.com/img/LotImages/2018/NYR/2018_NYR_16392_0029_001(lheritier_de_brutelle_charles_louis_stirpes_novae_aut_minus_cognitae_q010025).jpg?w=1)
![L'HÉRITIER de Brutelle, Charles Louis (1746-1800). Stirpes novae, aut minus cognitae, quas descriptionibus et iconibus illustravit. Paris: Philippe-Dionysius Pierres, 1784-1785 [-1791].](https://www.christies.com/img/LotImages/2018/NYR/2018_NYR_16392_0029_000(lheritier_de_brutelle_charles_louis_stirpes_novae_aut_minus_cognitae_q092803).jpg?w=1)
PROPERTY OF THE HOLDEN ARBORETUM
L'HÉRITIER de Brutelle, Charles Louis (1746-1800). Stirpes novae, aut minus cognitae, quas descriptionibus et iconibus illustravit. Paris: Philippe-Dionysius Pierres, 1784-1785 [-1791].
Details
L'HÉRITIER de Brutelle, Charles Louis (1746-1800). Stirpes novae, aut minus cognitae, quas descriptionibus et iconibus illustravit. Paris: Philippe-Dionysius Pierres, 1784-1785 [-1791].
The first edition of L'Héritier's first botanical publication with engravings: "one of the more delightful flower books of the eighteenth century" (Hunt). "The book is splendid in its spacious descriptions, its charming exotic plates, its implications for taxonomic history; and fascinating as an imposing piece of eighteenth-century bookmaking" (ibid.) The 6 fascicles were issued with pagination but leaves unsigned. Of the 91 plates, showing such extraordinary fidelity to detail, 54 were contributed by Redouté, 25 by Fréret, 4 by Fossier, while the remainder are after Prévost, Jossignoy, Aubriet, Bruguihre, and Sowerby. Although he never completed the work for which at least 120 plates were projected, L'Héritier's main purpose was "to describe, in most cases portray, and classify (according to the Linnean system) plants that were either new or had gone largely unnoticed." A jurist and amateur botanist, he allowed Redouté access to his magnificent botanical library, and it is from L'Héritier, as Johnston says, that Redouté "learned the finer points of scientific botanic illustration." This copy collates as the Hunt copy with the following exceptions: plate 20 is captioned "Urtica arborea" rather than "Parietaria arborea," plate 45 is after Redouté rather than Freret, and plates 63, 73 and 74 have slight variations in spelling (63: "arborea" rather than "arboretum," and 73 and 74: "Stuartia" rather than "Stewartia"). Brunet III, 1043; Cleveland Collections 555; Dunthorne 246; Great Flower Books p.64; Hunt 673; Nissen BBI 1190; Pritzel 5268; Redouté 1; Stafleu-Cowan TL2 4484.
Six parts in one volume, broadsheet folio (513 x 337mm). Letterpress general title and six part titles (lacking preliminary leaf numbered v/vi). 91 engraved plates, including 2 folding, by Juillet, Milsan, Hubert, Maleuvre and others, after Pierre-Joseph Redouté (54) and others, plates numbered 1 to 84 with 7 bis plates (mostly marginal dampstain to the top of some leaves, a few leaves with light spotting). Nineteenth-century brown half morocco (broken). Provenance: O Mundo do Livro (bookseller's ticket on upper pastedown).
The first edition of L'Héritier's first botanical publication with engravings: "one of the more delightful flower books of the eighteenth century" (Hunt). "The book is splendid in its spacious descriptions, its charming exotic plates, its implications for taxonomic history; and fascinating as an imposing piece of eighteenth-century bookmaking" (ibid.) The 6 fascicles were issued with pagination but leaves unsigned. Of the 91 plates, showing such extraordinary fidelity to detail, 54 were contributed by Redouté, 25 by Fréret, 4 by Fossier, while the remainder are after Prévost, Jossignoy, Aubriet, Bruguihre, and Sowerby. Although he never completed the work for which at least 120 plates were projected, L'Héritier's main purpose was "to describe, in most cases portray, and classify (according to the Linnean system) plants that were either new or had gone largely unnoticed." A jurist and amateur botanist, he allowed Redouté access to his magnificent botanical library, and it is from L'Héritier, as Johnston says, that Redouté "learned the finer points of scientific botanic illustration." This copy collates as the Hunt copy with the following exceptions: plate 20 is captioned "Urtica arborea" rather than "Parietaria arborea," plate 45 is after Redouté rather than Freret, and plates 63, 73 and 74 have slight variations in spelling (63: "arborea" rather than "arboretum," and 73 and 74: "Stuartia" rather than "Stewartia"). Brunet III, 1043; Cleveland Collections 555; Dunthorne 246; Great Flower Books p.64; Hunt 673; Nissen BBI 1190; Pritzel 5268; Redouté 1; Stafleu-Cowan TL2 4484.
Six parts in one volume, broadsheet folio (513 x 337mm). Letterpress general title and six part titles (lacking preliminary leaf numbered v/vi). 91 engraved plates, including 2 folding, by Juillet, Milsan, Hubert, Maleuvre and others, after Pierre-Joseph Redouté (54) and others, plates numbered 1 to 84 with 7 bis plates (mostly marginal dampstain to the top of some leaves, a few leaves with light spotting). Nineteenth-century brown half morocco (broken). Provenance: O Mundo do Livro (bookseller's ticket on upper pastedown).