Tulips from Hortus Eystettensis by Basilius Besler

Basilius Besler (1561 - 1629), Tulipa Miniata pleno flore....(Tulips), being a full-page plate from his monumental Hortus Eystettensis (the garden at Eichstatt), published in 1613; copper plate with contemporary hand colouring, 48 x 40 cm (plate); attractively framed and glazed, overall 80 x 69 cm, Basilius Besler (1561 - 1629), was a respected Nuremberg apothecary and botanist, best known for his monumental 'Hortus Eystettensis'. He was curator of the garden of Johann Konrad von Gemmingen, Prince Bishop of Eichsatt in Bavaria. In 1611, Konrad decided to record for posterity the spectacular garden that he had created at his palace in Bavaria with plants from around the world. Hundreds of flowers were carefully drawn and engraved as they bloomed through the four seasons. Published in 1613, the finished catalogue was the largest and most magnificent florilegium ever made. Sadly, the Prince Bishop never lived to see it, as he died the year before it was published. It was printed on the largest sheets of paper then available.