Thornton (Robert John) Indian Reed

Thornton (Robert John)

Indian Reed,

aquatint, with mezzotint and stipple, printed in colour and finished by hand, engraved by James Caldwall after Andrew Henderson, on Whatman paper watermarked 1810, Dunthorne's second state, with lower sky nearly white, [Dunthorne, p. 251.], some spotting, some cockling to paper, trimmed to plate, sheet 540 x 405mm, 1804.

***Published in Thornton's 'Temple of Flora', the first series of flower prints to show the plant within a habitat. Originally sold to subscribers, the 31 plates were finally published in one volume in 1807.

“... the most strikingly beautiful set of flower plates ever to be printed in England, [and] one of the loveliest books in the world” (Alan Thomas, Great Books and Book Collectors pp.142-4).