Dr. Robert John Thornton (1768?-1837) (editor)
Peter Henderson (after)
John Roffe (c.1769-1850) (engraver)
The Pontic Rhododendron
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 x 10 inches, overall
11 x 8 inches, approximate plate mark
$1,000

Plate from The Temple of Flora, Robert John Thornton’s renowned botanical work. Read general information about the set here. Thornton wrote that the inclusion of the butterfly in this particular plate represented the native habitat of the plant (Blunt).

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.

John Roffe was a British engraver active mainly in the early 19th century. His output included architectural works, some of the plates for the description of the marbles in the British Museum (1812) and Murphy’s Arabian Antiquities of Spain (1816). He died at age 81.

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.

References:

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

Redgrave, Samuel. A Dictionary of Artists of the English School: Painters, Sculptors, Architects, Engravers and Ornamentists. London: Longmans, Green, and Col., 1874. p. 348.