Sunflowers 1

This vivid portrait of sunflowers is from Phytanthoza Iconographia, a rare and important 18th-century work by the German apothecary and botanist Johann Wilhelm Weinmann, published in installments in Regensberg between 1737 and 1745.

Phytanthoza Iconographia was one of the first botanical works to use color printing. Its copper plate engravings were a combination of etching and mezzotint, which allowed for delicate lines and a very fine grain. Additional color was then added to the plates by hand. The volumes in The LuEsther T. Mertz Library at The New York Botanical Garden are vibrant to this day, and Weinmann’s opus remains a work of great beauty and impressive scope.

The botanical image measures 7” x 10 9/16”. It is matted and framed in a wooden frame with walnut veneer. The frame measures 18¼" x 14¾".

From the Collections of the LuEsther T. Mertz Library at The New York Botanical Garden.