Thornton (Robert John)

Large Flowering Sensitive Plant, mixed-method engraving with aquatint, from ‘The Temple of Flora’, first state with the sky worked in fine aquatint, engraved by Joseph Stadler after Peter Reinagle, depicting Jamaica in the background, some mount staining, [Dunthorne 301], plate 47 x 36 cm, overall 75 x 64cm, framed & glazed, 1799.

*** Famous for its background landscapes as much as its flowers, the high production costs of such a lavish work put Thornton under severe financial pressure. Nevertheless, The Temple of Flora is ‘ ... the most strikingly beautiful set of flower plates ever to be printed in England, [and] one of the loveliest books in the world’ (Great Books and Book Collectors pp.142-4).