[Paper] Manière de Couper la Substance du Papier de Chine: Flore des Serres et des Jardins de l'Europe

Ghent:: Louis Van Houtte,, 1845-1888.. First edition. Fine with original hand-coloring. Fine Condition. Octavo (6.5 x 9.75 inches). Original color lithograph by Horto Van Houtteano. Matted in Rag board with French gilt line sized to 14 x 12 inches. Rich and luminous, this plate is printed in multiple colors and finished by hand. A fine illustration of cutting China paper (after a Chinese drawing) from the publication Flore des Serres et des Jardins de l'Europe. During the mid-19th Century, in recognition of the increasing interest in horticulture throughout Europe and the grand discoveries of the plant hunters worldwide, several botanical periodicals were created to document botanical treasures from around the globe. Flore des Serres et des Jardins de l'Europe, Ghent 1845-1888, edited by Charles Lemaire and Louis Van Houtte (1810-1876), was one of the finest Horticultural journals produced during that time. The editors were experienced botanical engravers and nurserymen in their own right who brought their skills to this glorious publication which presented both newly discovered exotics and the popular cultivars. Charles Lemaire was at one time engraver for Redoute's masterful works Les Liliaces, Paris c. 1802-16 and Les Roses, both Folio c.1817-24 and Octavo editions c.1835. Louis Van Houtte, proprietor of Establishment Van Houtte, the most esteemed nursery on the continent during the mid 19th Century, commissioned his own team of plant explorers to gather previously undiscovered orchids and other exotics for cultivation in his own greenhouses and publication in his Flore des Serres series. (DeBelder, GFB, Plesch) Matted in Rag Board