Antique Botanical Print

This beautiful Edward Joseph Lowe Fern (Pteris Biaurita) Antique Botanical Print was printed 1857 and is an original book plate from E. J. Lowe, Ferns British & Exotic. Printed in color from a wood block engraving with a little hand finishing. This is a first edition actually printed in 1857 and not a modern copy or reproduction.

“Botanical illustration is generally classified as “the art of depicting the form, color, and details of plant species.” There are different categories within the overall art of botanical illustration; in general, the illustrations can lean toward the more scientific or more artistic.

The art itself can be traced back to the mid-1st century. Since it’s beginning, various professions sought out and utilized the illustrations: physicians, pharmacists, botanical scientists, and gardeners to name a few. Contributions from botanical illustrators are numerous. Their work has helped to highlight plants distinguishing features which aide in the categorization of the differing plant species.

The Golden Age of botanical art coincided, roughly, with the Age of Exploration: the 15th-17th centuries. As explorers ‘discovered’ new continents, they brought along artists to detail the experience as well as to document any newly found plant or animal species.”

from – www.dailyartmagazine.com/