Trew. Hortus nitidissimis. [1750]-1772

Property from the Library at Spetchley Park

TREW, CHISTOPH JAKOB 

Hortus nitidissimis omnen per annum superbiens floribus, sive amoenissimorum florum imagines… In publicum edidit Iohannes Michael Seligmann. Nuremberg: Johann Joseph Fleischmann, [1750]-1772

2 parts in one volume, large folio (518 x 359mm.), 2 letterpress titles, text in parallel columns of Latin and German, 43 and 25 leaves of text, 142 hand-coloured plates engraved on 140 sheets (of 188, nominally 190, see footnote), part 1: 1-8, 10-59, part 2: 60/61-143, contemporary half calf, marbled boards, lacking plate 9, plate 60/61 and 97 cropped at foot, minor occasional soiling, rebacked partially retaining original russia spine

ONE OF THE RAREST AND FINEST OF ALL PUBLISHED FLORELIGIA.

Christoph Jakob Trew’s Hortus nitidissimis is a gallery of the most colourful and ravishing flowers then grown in Europeans gardens, including tulips hyacinths, ranunculi, and roses. It includes a substantial contribution from Georg Dionysius Ehret, the greatest botanical flower painter of the eighteenth century. Undoubtedly this work is one "of the finest records of the cultivated flowers of the period" (Dunthorne), and "a valuable florilegium of the plants, especially the florists' plants of the gardens of that time" (Great Flower Books). 

The plates for part 1 were published between 1750 and 1766, while the text was published in 1756 and 1768 (probably actually 1767). The text of part 2 appeared in 1772, although the plates were not finished till 1774. After the final portion of text was produced in 1786, production ceased until 1792, after which ten more plates were produced without text. Given this long publication period of 42 years, it is not surprising that the Hortus Nitidissimis is rarely found complete. In general, the Hortus nitidissimis is conspicuously absent from some of the major collections, or else only represented by fragments. It is therefore justly regarded as one of the most elusive botanical works. The plate count is nominally 1-190, with 60-61 and 121-122 combined on two sheets.

LITERATURE:

Dunthorne 310; Great Flower Books, p.78; Nissen BBI 1995; Stafleu TL2 15.130