Spaendonck, Gerard Van

Fleurs dessinées d'après nature... Paris: circa 1800

Album of proof plates (515 x 360 mm). Without printed title or text leaves, 24 stipple-engraved plates by P.P. le Grand after G.Van Spaendonck (unless otherwise noted below), most with manuscript captions accomplished in pencil in an early hand, tissue guards; occasional instances of minor fingerso♓iling, light spotting to first three plates, short closed tear to lower margin of Plate 4, small repair to upper right corner of Plate 9, Plate 24 laid-down on paper. Contꦚemporary marbled paper-covered boards, manuscript paper label to spine, light blue endpapers; overall rubbed with some loss, joints splitting, spotting to endpapers. 

Plates include:

1ꦐ. "Rose a cent tetulles | Rosa Centifolia. L", sheet size 480 x 320 mm

2. "Chene 🃏commun | Quercus robur. L.", sheet size 482 x 320 mm

3. "Mauve alcee | Malva alc𓆉ea. L.", sheet s🌄ize 480 x 320 mm

4. "Tulipe des jardins | Tulipa g🔴esneriana. L", sheet size 475 x 315 mm

5. 🔴"Digitale pourpree | Digitalis purpurea. L", sheet size 485 x 320 mm

6. "Rosa de Provens | Rosa galhca. L.", by J.Godetroy after Van Spaendonck꧃, sheet size 483 x 323 mm

7. "Campanula gantelee | Campanula trachaehum. L.", sheet size 485 x 320 m🐠m

8. "Neflier Cultive |🎃 Mespilus germanica. L.🐈", sheet size 487 x 320 mm

9. "Reme marguerite | Aster chinensis. L.", sheet size 495 xꦆ 345 mm

10. "Iris bleu-꧂clair | Iris pallida", sheet size 505 x 345 mm

11. "Mais, Ble de Turquie | 🌞Zea Mays. L.", sheet size 500 𒉰x 345 mm

12. "Uva nigra & Uva alba. Raisin noir & Raisin bla🌌nc | du Chasselas. | Dessine d'apres Nature, par P.F. Le Grand, Et Grave par la même. | Depose a la Bibliotheque Nationale./ A Pans, chez Le Grand Rue St. Jacques, No. 16.", sheet size 502 x 350 ꦍmm (not captioned in pencil) 

13.♑ "Souci des Jardꦛins | Calendula officinalis. L.", sheet size 505 x 344 mm

14. "Rose-tremiere | Alcea Rosea. L", sheet size 502 x 3𝐆45 mm

15. "Pavor cultivé | Papaver somniferum. L.",&☂nbsp;sheet size 507 x 350 mm

16. [Untitled still-life of fruit on a table, with imprint:], "De Heem Pinx | P.F. Le Grand Sc🐭ulp. | Depose a la Bibliotheque Nationale | chez l'Auteur Rue des Noyers No. 13.", sheet size 340 x 505 mm (not captioned in pencil) 

17. "Seringat o🐲dorant | Philadelphus coronanus. L", sheet size 495 x 335 mm

18. "Anemone double | Anemone coronana. L", sheet size꧃ ᩚᩚᩚᩚᩚᩚ⁤⁤⁤⁤ᩚ⁤⁤⁤⁤ᩚ⁤⁤⁤⁤ᩚ𒀱ᩚᩚᩚ496 x 330 mm

19. "Jacinthe double𓂃 | Hyacinthus orientalis. L.", sheet 💟size 495 x 330 mm

20. "Rose a cent feuille༒s | Rosa centifolia. L"😼, sheet size 495 x 330 mm

21. "Sceau de Salomon | Couvallaria multiflora. L.", with no ﷽imprint: neither engraver nor artist identified, s👍heet size 495 x 335 mm

22. "Mufle de vcau | Antirrhinum majus. 🅘L", with no imprint: neither artist nor engraver identified, sheet size 502 x 335 mm

23. "Lavatere a grandes fleurs | Lavatcra trimestns. L.", with no imprint: neitꦐher artist nor engraver identified, sheet size 508 x 308 mm

24. "Lilas | Synnga Vulgaris. L", with no imprint: neither artist nor🌄 engraver identified, she🉐et size 502 x 334 mm

Proof copy — the Wilfrid Blunt-Von Hoffmann copy.

Wilfrid Blunt's copy of a suite of proof plates from Fleurs dessinées d'après nature—one of the rarest of the great flower books. The work is described by Blunt as containing "magnificent drawings, brilliantly interpreted in stipple." Blunt continues: "Copies are occasionally found either hand-coloured or printed in colour and retouched with water-colour." Blunt argues that the watercolor in fact dulls the delicacy, and that in their present black-and-white state, "these prints may well claim to be the finest flower-engravings ever made" (Great Flower Books).

The Dutch-born Gerard (or Gerrit) van Sp𝔍aendonck studied with Willem Jacob Herreyns in Antwerp before moving to Paris in 1769. In 1774, van Spaendonck was appointed miniature painter in the court of Louis XVI, and in 1780 he was named professor of floral painting at the Jardin des Plantes. Following this appointment, he was elected as a member of𝄹 the Académie des beaux-arts. During his career, van Spaendonck's pupils included Pierre-Joseph Redouté and Henriette Vincent.

REFERENCE:

Blunt & Steam 197-200; Great Flower Books 21 & 77: Nissen, BBI 1879; Pritzel 8809; Staflau & Cowan 𓃲LL2 12.523

PROVENANCE:

Wilfrid Blunt (ownership inscription) — Ladislaus von Hoffman ("An Important Botanical Library," Christie's New Yor👍k, 4 June 1997, l🐽ot 142)