Johann Christoph Volckamer (German, 1644-1720) Ballotin di Spagna

Description:

Johann Christoph Volckamer (German, 1644-1720)

Ballotin di Spagna and Limon da Calabria, from Nurnbergishe Hesperides, J.A. Endter Sohn and Erben, Nuremberg, c. 1708-. Ballotin, plate 160B titled and inscribed "Limon guzza Appetito 1701" in the matrix; Limon inscribed "pag.144.b." u.r. and titled and inscribed "Der Schiebelsberg" in the matrix. Hand-colored engravings, sight size 12 3/4 x 7 3/4 in. (34.9 x 19.6 cm),framed.
Condition: Minor spots, not examined out of frames.

N.B. It was fashionable among the aristocracy in Central Europe to grow plants native to the Mediterranean and the tropics, despite the cold winter climate. They built tall greenhouses to shelter the trees during the winter, and had the plants moved outdoors in the summer. Johann Christoph Volckamer was one such person- a wealthy Nuremberg silk merchant with a fine citrus greenhouse and garden. He engaged several artists and engravers to produce Nürnbergische Hesperides, a two-volume work featuring his collection. The first volume was published in 1708, and the continuation volume in 1714. Each consists of four parts on citrus fruits and one part devoted to other flowering plants or fruits. According to scholar Gordon Dunthorne, this was the first botanical set to focus almost solely on fruit.

Estimate $300-500


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