Engravings> 1600 > 'The metamorphosis of flowers and bees of Florilla and Melissa', copper engraving by Johann Friedrich Greuter (Strasburg 1590/93-Rome 1662).
'The metamorphosis of flowers and bees of Florilla and Melissa', copper engraving by Johann Friedrich Greuter (Strasburg 1590/93-Rome 1662).
Description:'The metamorphosis of flowers and bees of Florilla and Melissa', is an engraving published in Giovanni Battista Ferrari's
De Florum Cultura.
Giovanni Battista Ferrari (1584 Siena -1655 Siena), was an Italian Jesuit and professor in Rome, a botanist, and an author of illustrated botanical books.
The book, was published in 1633 and dedicated to Cardinal Francesco Barberini, nephew of Pope Urban VIII, and a patron of the arts and sciences. De Florum Cultura was a horticultural book emphasizing the planting and planning of gardens. In it, Ferrari discussed the cultivation and decorative qualities of flowers, particularly of the new and exotic species which were then being planted in a number of new Roman gardens. Ferrari attempted, through careful descriptions and analysis, to name and classify the new species, and his efforts were unique and valuable.
In addition to its botanical and horticultural parts, De Florum Cultura included a number of excellent botanical plates—most of them by the Dutch print-maker, Cornelis Bloemaert (1603-1684).
Also in its contents were Ferrari’s eight original allegorical stories.
The plates were engraved by the best artists of the time, such as Johann Friedrich Greuter and Claude Mellan. Plates were illustrated by drawings by the renowned painters of Roman Baroque, such as Guido Reni, Andrea Sacchi, Giovanni Lanfranco and Pietro da Cortona.
These were tales about the gods in the horticultural scene or about fantastic happenings in the gardens.
Age:1633
Dimensions:the platemark 9 1/2 x 5 3/4 inch.
Price: € 200,00
Item n°: RC 146
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