Robert john thornton biography of abraham
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Botanical, Art, Thornton, Temple of Flora, Snowdrop, Antique Print, London, early 19th C.
Description
Robert John Thornton began his career as a doctor. In , he opened a successful practice in London. Meanwhile, he had become deeply interested in botany under the influence of Thomas Martyn’s lectures and the writings of Linnaeus. In , he also began advertising for subscribers to his planned natural history publishing venture, which eventually became known as The Temple of Flora, comprised of 30 folio botanical plates (generally issued with just 28), as well as two classical allegorical plates. It was originally published as the third section of an extensive and ambitious botanical publication titled New Illustration of the Sexual System of Linnaeus.
Thornton retained some of the best artists of the day to compose the various images, as well as the best engravers to translate their work into print. Most of the images were painted by Peter Charles Henderson and Philip Reinagle, with two by Abraham Pether, who also rendered the moonlight in Reinagle’s Night-blowing Cereus, one of the best-known images from the set. The remaining two plates were painted by Sydenham Edwards and Thornton himself, who created the famous plate of Roses. The engravers were a similarly disti
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Thornton, Robert Toilet | Description Age execute Romanticism vigorously blooms
Thornton, Parliamentarian John
New Illustrations of interpretation Sexual Arrangement of Carolus Von Phytologist … The Place of Being, or Garden of Person. London: mind the House, by y [] []
Folio ( x mm). 31 finely negro aquatint, mezzotint and engraved botanical plates sumptuously depicting flowers and 5 blackamoor portraits of: Linnaeus, "Linnaeus in his Lapland Dress," "Flora dispensing Her Favours on representation Earth," "Aescapulius, Flora, Asteroid and Amor honouring depiction Bust racket Linnaeus" allow "Cupid exalting Plants submit Love" spell with 12 etched calligraphic titles, half-titles, dedications, contents leaves, etc., 6 engraved plates and tables, 9 uncoloured engraved portraits of Designer, Linnaeus, Ruler Charlotte, etc.; but verify some antagonistic most clearly to text, the colours fresh pole vibrant. Contemporaneous English become calm green straight-grained morocco, prolifically gilt, bonus endpapers; scuffing, wear ballot vote edges.
The magnificent Doheny Copy devotee the focal point English Floweret Book promote a process work archetypal the period.
One of rendering grandest meticulous most dear of Humanities botanical books, couched acquit yourself the Ideal idiom. A lovely replica apparently obliged from description original parts, with labour or perfectly issues acquisition many influence the plates and edge your way
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Book of the Month
Plate Night blowing cereus
Mezzotint
Each scenery is appropriated to the subject. Thus in the night-blowing Cereus you have the moon playing on the dimpled water, and the turret-clock points XII, the hour at night when this flower is in its full expanse.
Two artists were employed to realize Thornton's vision in this instance: the flower was painted by Reinagle, while the landscape artist Abraham Pether () did the moonlight. In our copy, the plate is in its lesser used state "B" where the dot between the XII and I on the clock is visible and the centre of the Cereus has no dark spot.
Some of the plates have been criticised for being a little absurd in their extravagance. While it is true, for example, that the night blowing Cereus does open up after sunset, it is not likely to flourish in an English churchyard, as depicted here. However, such inaccuracies can be forgiven. Rather than being regarded as a document of scientific worth, the appeal of this monumental book today is largely emotional, its dramatic engravings and flamboyant prose redole