Linden, Pescatorea | Iconographie des Orchidées, 1854-1860

LINDEN, JEAN-JULES

Pescatorea. Iconographie des Orchidées de la collection de M. Pescatore, au Chateau de la Celle–St.–Cloud. Brussels, Ghent and Leipzig: M. Hayez for Librairie de Charles Muquardt, [1854–] 1855–1860

FIRST EDITION IN ORIGINAL PARTS, volume 1 (all published) in 12 parts, unbound as issued (text: 508 x 343 mm.; plates: 602 x 332 mm.), 48 hand-coloured lithographed plates by F. Detollenaere after Detollenaere and Maubert, 12 printed thin-card wrappers, buckram clamshell case, printed spine label, Eriopsis Biloba plate browned, 3 plates lightly tanned, wrappers with slight wear to edges

An important large-format work on a wide-ranging selection of the most beautiful tropical orchids. This work is very rare in parts.

A native of Luxembourg, Linden moved to Belgium in his youth and during his working life was responsible for the importation of over 1,100 different orchid species. He was "An orchid hunter par excellence … [and] was the first to search the mountain regions diligently for his orchids. In so doing, he was able to obtain many cool-temperature plants for his sponsors in Belgium. After ten years in the Western Hemisphere, Linden returned to work in Brussels in 1845. With his son Lucien, he founded Horticulture Internationale, the first major commercial competitor of the British orchid house Messrs. Sander" (The Orchid Observed, no. 16).

LITERATURE:

Great Flower Books, p.113; Nissen BBI 1196; Stafleu TL2 4622

PROVENANCE:

Hofbibliothek Donaueschingen, inkstamp on front covers of wrappers and a few leaves of text