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C1814
Calectasia cyanea
Artist:
Ferdinand Bauer (1760 - 1826)
Exceptionally rare and historically important botanical illustration of the Star of Bethlehem plant, from Matthew Flinders account of his voyage to Terra Australis. Here offered in the superior and rarest deluxe issue. The deluxe issue of the Flinder’s atlas, has … Read Full Description
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Details
Full Title:
Calectasia cyanea
Date:
C1814
Artist:
Ferdinand Bauer (1760 - 1826)
Condition:
In good condition. Edges with minor chips, perforations to left sheet edge from original stitching.
Technique:
Copper engraving.
Image Size:
350mm
x 480mm
Paper Size:
500mm
x 750mm
AUTHENTICITY
Genuine antique
dated:
1814
Description:
Exceptionally rare and historically important botanical illustration of the Star of Bethlehem plant, from Matthew Flinders account of his voyage to Terra Australis.
Here offered in the superior and rarest deluxe issue. The deluxe issue of the Flinder’s atlas, has the botanical illustrations unfolded and with untrimmed wide margins as issued. In comparison, the standard issue of the atlas, the botanical plates are found folded multiple times, to accomodate being reduced to a quarto size and the margins are extensively trimmed.
Robert Brown the naturalist on the expedition can be called ‘The Father of Australian botany’, for his effort in collecting over 3,900 specimens, of which 140 genera were new to science. Brown’s specimens and Prodromus published in 1810 formed the foundation for George Betham’s Flora Australiensis (1863-1878).
Brown’s landing places and collecting localities in Australia.
Western Australia
8 December–5 January (1802) King George Sound.
9–14 January Lucky Bay (Bay I of the chart).
14–17 January Middle Island, Archipelago of Recherche (Bay II). Goose Island Bay of the plant labels.
Common name Star of Bethlehem or Blue Tinsel Lily
Modern binomial name Calectasia cyanea
First described Robert Brown 1810
Distribution South west Western Australia
Artist:
Ferdinand Bauer (1760-1826)
Bauer was a botanical artist born in Austria, the son of Lukas Bauer, court painter to the Prince of Liechtenstein. Orphaned next year, the brothers later came to the notice of a priest, Norbert Boccius, who encouraged them in botanical drawing and commissioned Ferdinand, when only 15, to paint a large number of highly finished flower studies.
In about 1780 the brothers moved to Vienna where they met Baron Nikolaus von Jacquin, then working on his Icones Plantarum Rariorum, 1-3 (Vienna 1781-93). He employed Ferdinand and his brother Franz in illustrating this work. This experience and training determined their future. When Professor John Sibthorpe of Oxford visited Vienna he was so impressed by Ferdinand’s work that he engaged him as his natural history painter; they left Vienna in 1786 and travelled widely in the Mediterranean before going to England at the end of 1787.
In 1800 Sir Joseph Banks arranged for Ferdinand Bauer to join the expedition of Matthew Flinders in the Investigator to Terra Australis. Bauer worked closely with Robert Brown the naturalist and together they collected and illustrated thousands of plants. By August 1803 Bauer had made 1000 drawings of plants and 200 of animals before returning to England in 1805. By then Bauer had made 2073 drawings, of which some 1540 drawings were of Australian plants and the remainder of plants from Norfolk Island, Timor and the Cape.
