BOTANICALS

Antique botanical prints represent one of the most enduring and widely collected areas of natural history illustration. Combining rigorous scientific documentation with exceptional artistic skill, the finest examples remain desirable to collectors, institutions, interior designers and botanists alike. The tradition of botanical engraving spans more than four centuries, from the earliest printed herbals of the 16th century through to the chromolithographic publications of the early 20th century.

Among the most celebrated works in the botanical print canon is Basil Besler’s Hortus Eystettensis (1613), a monumental catalogue of the garden of the Prince-Bishop of Eichstätt in Bavaria. Its large-format engravings — among the finest produced in the early 17th century — document over 1,000 plant species with extraordinary precision and decorative quality. Original Besler plates are among the most sought-after antique botanical prints available, prized equally for their historical significance and visual impact.

Curtis’s Botanical Magazine, founded by William Curtis in 1787 and still published today, produced hand-coloured engravings and later lithographs of newly introduced and exotic plant species over more than two centuries of continuous publication. With contributions from artists including Sydenham Edwards, Walter Hood Fitch and Matilda Smith, Curtis’s plates offer exceptional quality across an enormous range of subjects and price points, making them one of the most accessible entry points into botanical print collecting.

Australian botanical illustration has a particularly rich history, driven by the scientific urgency of documenting an entirely new flora following European settlement. Ferdinand von Mueller, Government Botanist of Victoria from 1853, produced landmark works including Fragmenta Phytographiae Australiae and Flora Australiensis, with illustrations that remain primary references for Australian native plants. Joseph Maiden’s A Critical Revision of the Genus Eucalyptus and Robert Fitzgerald’s Australian Orchids (1875–94) — the latter featuring exceptionally detailed hand-coloured lithographs of native orchid species — represent significant collecting areas within Australian botanical art. The Forest Flora of South Australia by Hans Herrmann Lay documents the native trees of South Australia with plates of considerable botanical and artistic merit.

For ferns specifically, Edward Joseph Lowe’s Ferns: British and Exotic (1856–60) produced some of the most beautiful botanical lithographs of the Victorian era, combining scientific accuracy with a decorative sensibility that makes individual plates highly effective as works of art in their own right.

When assessing antique botanical prints, original hand-colouring should be vivid and even, with no fading or later additions. Paper quality, the presence of original margins, and the condition of any platemark all contribute to value. Foxing — brown spotting caused by mould or iron impurities in historical paper — is common and should be disclosed clearly. Our condition reports address all relevant issues honestly, and as professional paper conservators we can advise on restoration where appropriate.

All botanical prints in this collection are guaranteed original antiques. We do not sell reproductions. Each work is available for purchase online with free shipping within Australia and worldwide shipping on orders over $A300.