Dr. Robert John Thornton
(1768?-1837) (editor)
Peter Henderson (after)
Quilley (engraver)
The Sacred Egyptian Bean
from The Temple of Flora, or Garden of the Botanist, Poet, Painter,
and Philosopher
Dr. Robert John Thornton, London: 1812
Stipple, mezzotint or aquatint, some partially printed in colors, finished by hand and some heightened with gum arabic
13.5 x 10.75 inches, overall
11.75 x 8.5 inches, approximate plate mark
$1,250

Plate from The Temple of Flora, Robert John Thornton’s renowned botanical work. Read general information about the set here. About this particular plate, scholar Ronald King writes:

"The Sacred Egyptian Bean [Nelumbo nucifera Gaertner aka Sacred Lotus of the East Nelumbium speciosum], which no longer grows in Egypt, was first used as a religious symbol in that country, but veneration for it...afterwards spread to Buddhists and Hindus...It grows along the edges of lakes in the countries of the East, thrusting up large pink flowers, which it holds well above the water. In those countries it is found in a white form...but the yellow flower shown in this picture is taken from an American species [Nelumbo lutea (Willd.) Persoon, aka N. pentapetala and Nelumbium luteum], included by Thornton to make the picture more colourful [`with a painter's license, I have introduced the white, red and yellow together, and placed them in Egypt']. The plant has distinctive `pepper-pot' seedpods and the seed itself has remarkable powers of survival, having been known to germinate after lying dormant for four hundred years...The picture has...exceptional charm and a distinctly modern feel about it, although produced nearly two hundred years ago." (Ronald King, The Temple of Flora by Robert Thornton,. 1981, p.108)

Peter Henderson, a London-based painter mainly known for his portraits, contributed 14 of the 28 plates of The Temple of Flora. He exhibited at the Royal Academy between 1799 and 1829.

Condition: Generally very good with the usual light overall toning, soiling, and wear. Margins with faint mat burn, abrasions, and glue residue from former matting, can be matted out. Professionally rebacked on supporting sheet.

Reference:

Blunt, Wilfred, rev. by Stearn, William T. The Art of Botanical Illustration. Woodbridge, Suffolk, England: Antique Collectors Club, 1994. pp. 236-242.