Beschreibung:

BESLER, Basilius (1561-1629). Hortus Eystettensis . [Nuremberg]: 1613.
BESLER, Basilius (1561-1629). Hortus Eystettensis . [Nuremberg]: 1613. Royal broadsheet (540 x 415mm). Letterpress: dedication to Johann Christoph, Prince Bishop of Eichstätt, 2 leaves of privileges for France, Belgium and the Netherlands in roman, italic, or gothic type, 'Ordo' titles printed on plate versos, index leaves for each season (spring A-D, AA-CC; summer Aa-Hh; autumn aa-cc; winter A); without descriptive text as issued. Engraved title by Wolfgang Kilian 366 engraved plates (on 367 sheets with the two plates of Lilium Martagon attached at an early date) by Wolfgang Kilian Dominicus Custos Raphael Custos Georg Gärtner Johannes Leypold, Levin van Hulsen, Friedrick van Hulsen, Peter Isselburg Servatius Raeven, Heinrich Ulrich and possibly others, after Daniel Herzog, Georg Gärtner and others, engraved portraits and arms of Besler and Sebastian Schedel, ALL RICHLY COLOURED BY A CONTEMPORARY ITALIAN HAND . COLOURING AND EXTRA-ILLUSTRATIONS: Contemporary Italian colouring of c. 1618-20. Nicolas Barker characterises the colouring in the present copy as consonant with others coloured before about 1650, such as the Bibliothèque national de France (1648), Museum d’Histoire Naturelle (after 1640) and Vendramin (c.1615-1648) copies, possibly based on a coloured exemplar, supplemented by written instructions. The present copy is the only one known to have been coloured south of the Alps and the only one extra-illustrated. The copy contains 15 additional 17th-century original drawings in water- and body-colour and a hand-coloured engraving of a passion flower, giant granadilla. The majority of drawings are directly on the plate and are very fine, possibly by the artist who coloured the work. Five drawings are on separate sheets bound in, one on prepared blue paper with an inscription in Italian on the verso, and one of the giant granadilla, representing the specimen grown by Cardinal Farnese. Some of the drawings appear to be by another artist. The print is titled ‘Vera Effigie delle Grandiglia detta Fior della Passione’. It is dedicated to Giovanni Faber (see below) and has a short description by the noted botanist and apothecary, Donato d’Eremita, of the flower’s introduction into Italy and appearance in the garden of Cardinal Farnese. D’Eremita had served at the Medici court at Florence before returning to Naples in 1611 as pharmacist at the Dominican convent of Santa Caterina a Formiella, from where this print is signed and dated 20 December 1619. BINDING : Italian, probably Milanese, mid-17th-century russet calf over pasteboard, border of gilt and blind fillets, large central lozenge of floral tools and small stars, larger tool repeated at corners and, with pomegranate tool, in spine compartments, title lettered along spine, 4 clasps, sprinkled edges, later slipcase (new endpapers, a little worming, wear at spine with loss at head, lower spine compartment renewed, some rubbing, discreet repairs at extremities, clasp-leather renewed). The large floral tool appears to be identical to one used by Pietro Martire Locarno at Milan; after his death in 1609 the business was continued by his widow in partnership with the bookseller G.B. Bidelli (cf. Kevin Stevens, ‘A Bookbinder in Early Seventeenth-Century Milan: the Shop of Pietro Martire Locarno’, The Library , 6th series, vol.18, December 1996, 306-327, fig. 1). PROVENANCE : Very possibly Dr Giovanni Faber (Bamberg 1574-1629 Rome), professor of medicine, director of the papal botanical garden and member of the Accademia dei Lincei. A NEWLY DISCOVERED COPY OF THE MOST CELEBRATED FLORILEGIUM EVER PUBLISHED. A DELUXE, COLOURED COPY OF THE FIRST EDITION IN ITS ORIGINAL BINDING AND WITH ADDITIONAL ORIGINAL DRAWINGS, VERY POSSIBLY THE COPY ORDERED FOR GIOVANNI FABER AT ROME . In a letter of 6 April 1617 to Duke August, Philipp Hainhofer noted that Dr [Ferdinando] Mattioli wished to acquire a copy of the Hortus Eystettensis for Dr Faber at Rome. Hainhofer had been instru