Antique Prints, Maps, & Books of Natural History, Botanicals, & More
Lot 66540:
Description
This profusely illustrated, eight volume work is Alfred Celestin Cogniaux & Alphonse Goosens’s
Dictionnaire Iconographique des Orchidées. The work was published in Brussels by F. Havermans between 1896 and 1906. Cogniaux served as the editor, Goosens the illustrator, and Goffin completed the chromolithographs.
This is a near-complete run of the rarest serially published orchid iconographies. Only 250 examples of the work were every published.
The work itself is rarely found complete, with this one present with 800 (of 826) chromolithographed plates. The plates, most measuring ~ 7 1/4" by 5 1/2", are tipped into the folio volumes on larger sheets. This organization of plates was performed by a previous owner and sorted by genus. The 800 plates illustrate 91 different genus of orchid from 63 (of 64) of the original serial parts.
The volumes are bound in 20th century cloth-backed boards, white labels lettered in gilt on each spine. There is a general description of most orchid genus, page for title or publication information in rear of volume one, and typed index of each orchid depicted in rear of volume eight.
Alfred Celestin Cogniaux (1841-1916) was an important Belgian botanist. He hired Goosens to illustrate this prolific orchid work.
Alphonse Goosens (1866-1944) was one of the most important botanical artists of the period, and considered one of the greatest of all orchid painters. He was also noted for his comprehensive systemization of Brazilian orchids. Goosen’s also worked on Linden’s
Iconographia des Orchidees. A number of orchid species are named after him.
Paper Size: ~ 15 3/4" by 10 3/4"; Plates ~ 7 1/4" by 5 1/2"
Condition report:
The work is in very good to excellent condition overall. There may be a few minor imperfections or faint marks to be expected with age. Please review the image carefully for condition and contact us with any questions.
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