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The Beauty of the Flower
The Art and Science of Botanical Illustration
Visually stunning and astonishing in scope, Stephen A. Harris’s The Beauty of the Flower is a history of botanical illustration that has all the makings of a classic reference text.
Hundreds of gorgeous images are used to trace the history of botanical art from the 1400s to the present. Harris addresses the artistry, accuracy, and intent of each illustration, including whether they are based on a specific individual plant or a stylized ideal. He notes that each artist’s choices and compromises reflected their era, audience, and scientific assumptions: “[Botanical illustrations] are points of transition, where the illustrator is the filter between a living organism and what we think we know about that organism.”
Dozens of historically significant works are profiled, including the Buch der Natur (1475), which was one of the first books to feature botanical illustrations as information rather than decoration; the massive Hortus Eystettensis (1613), which cataloged more than a thousand plants growing in a wealthy patron’s garden; and the Hortus Elthamensis (1732), considered one of the era’s most important books, which depicted rare and exotic plants growing in a royal apothecary’s garden. The Flora Graeca (1806-1840), considered a masterpiece of published botanical art, was so expensive to produce that only twenty-five copies were created; a leading botanist joked that “it is necessary to have the permission of a Cardinal” to even view the book. This comprehensive work also includes a capsule history of the printing process (impacting the quality and quantity of books produced), botanical expeditions (essential to the variety of species collected and illustrated), and plant-naming conventions (influencing the categorization of illustrations).
The Beauty of the Flower will delight plant-lovers and scholars alike with its magnificent illustrations and captivating account of the history of botanical study.
Reviewed by
Kristen Rabe
Disclosure: This article is not an endorsement, but a review. The publisher of this book provided free copies of the book to have their book reviewed by a professional reviewer. No fee was paid by the publisher for this review. Foreword Reviews only recommends books that we love. Foreword Magazine, Inc. is disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255.
