Description
Basil Besler's Hortus Eystettensis
These magnificent folio prints are from the rare, superbly decorative, and highly sought after work Hortus Eystettensis. It was originally published in 1613, the print here are from the Third Edition published in 1713. Around the year 1600, bishop-prince Johann Konrad von Gemmingen commissioned Besler to create a catalouge of his glorious garden praising God. Konrad was an avid botanist and formed his Episcopal garden at Eichstätt to celebrate the diversity of creation. Besler took on the project and, along with his brother and other scholars, produced the 1100 drawings on 367 plates that are still considered one of the best botanical works ever created. The first printing in 1613 consisted of only about 300 copies and countless editions have been produced since. The original copperplates were thought to have been melted down in 1817 at the mint in Munich. However, in 1994 a large collection containing 329 of the original 366 copperplates were discovered in the Albertina Museum in Vienna. The plates were part of a special exhibition in the Willbaldsburg Castle in Eichstätt in 2006.
Generations have regarded Besler's monumental Florilegia as the esteemed masterpiece it is. In the preface to an 1806 edition dedicated to empress Josephine, Franz Seraph Widnmann said this of the work, "...by reason of...the magnificence of its engravings, [this work] deserves to rank high among the rarest works of its kind." It is certainly one of the most comprehensive and delightfully drawn, visually impressive botanical works ever produced.
For a detailed, historical account of this work, please see The British Library's informative site.