NYBG Coast of Coromandel Linden Mug

What could be more pleasant than to sip tea from this porcelain mug decorated with images of the graceful yellow flower clusters and heart-shaped leaves of the exotic Indian linden? The delicate botanical illustration is from Plants of the Coast of Coromandel, a rare and beautiful early 19th-century work depicting plants that grow on the broad coastal plain of the Bay of Bengal. Local Indian artists created the original illustrations of flowers, shrubs and trees, which were then engraved and hand colored in London, bringing images of an exotic world of plants to the West.

The illustrations are from the Rare Book Collection of the Mertz Library here at the Botanical Garden.

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