Planson

Without title or text. Illustration: 22 handcolored etched plates only (of 50?).

Folio (16 x 10 3/4 in.; 406 x 273 mm). Binding: Fine retrospective quarter green morocco gilt, green marbled boards, green morocco gilt label on upper cover.



Occasional small expertly repaired marginal tears, expertly repaired wormhole to most leaves. Slight rubbing to covers.

Occasional small expertly repaired marginal tears, expertly repaired wormhole to most leaves. Slight rubbing to covers.
In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective qualified opinion.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING CONDITION OF A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD "AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF SALE PRINTED IN THE CATALOGUE.

A very rare unrecorded work on the beautiful varieties of carnation under cultivation in the 1840s.

A remarkable record of carnation varieties. The 22 plates include images of 88 different varieties pictured 4 to a plate. The plates are numbered 3–6, 9, 13, 20–28, 38–41, 49–50. Each plate includes a key at the foot giving the names and the type from which the variety has been developed. Seven of the plates include names other than those of the artist and printer, which seem to be the names of the introducers or growers of the varieties pictured on the plate. The carnation enjoyed a vogue at the beginning of the nineteenth century much as the tulip did at the beginning of the seventeenth. This work is particularly valuable as an early nineteenth-century visual record of a significant selection of available varieties.

None of the standard bibliographies include this work, and it is not listed as having appeared at auction in the last 35 years. The numbering of the plates suggests that there should have been at least 50 plates, but this is not certain.  It may well be that the present selection is the sole remaining fragment of the proof for a work that was never published.