THE FLOWER-GARDEN DISPLAY'D, IN ABOVE FOUR HUNDRED CURIOUS REPRESENTATIONS OF THE MOST BEAUTIFUL FLOWERS...

FURBER, Robert.  THE FLOWER GARDEN DISPLAY'D, IN ABOVE FOUR HUNDRED CURIOUS REPRESENTATIONS OF THE MOST BEAUTIFUL FLOWERS...             

London: R. Montagu, J. Brindley, and C. Corbett, 1734. 4to. Contemporary full gilt calf. Colored frontispiece, (vi), 139, (1) pages, 12 hand-colored engraved plates. Second edition. [Henrey, 713].

Originally published in 1730 as a set of twelve hand-colored folio plates with an added subscriber's plate, it was intended as a seed catalogue to advertise the varied selection of flowers sold by Furber at his nursery.  The popularity of the plates led to the publication of the first quarto edition of the hand-colored plates, "Coloured to the Life," in 1732 with text apparently written by the botanist Richard Bradley.  This second edition of 1734 has an additional hand-colored frontispiece plate, and an additional section on gardening: "A Flower-Garden for gentlemen and ladies: being the art of raising flowers without any trouble, to blow in full perfection in the depth of winter, in a bed-chamber, closet, or dining room...."  While it originally served as a seed catalogue for Furber's flowers, the publishers capitalized on other expanded artistic uses for his colored plates: "Not only for the curious in gardening, but the prints likewise for painters, carvers, japaners, &c. also for ladies, as patterns for working, and painting in water-colours, or furniture for the closet."  Furber's plates and book were know in colonial Virginia.  John Custis of Williamsburg owned the original folio set of plates by 1734 which were later inherited by Washington through the Custis estate.  William Byrd of Westover listed the book version "Flower Garden Displayed" in his library catalogue.

Our copy came from the estate of August Dietz, of the Dietz Press in Richmond, who utilized this copy in preparing for Colonial Williamsburg the hand-colored facsimiles of Furber's Twelve Months of Flowers which were a staple of their inventory for many years.  The original eighteenth century colors on the plates are bright and fresh.  In contemporary calf with corners of both boards stamped in gilt; spine compartments with gilt fleurons; boards professionally re-attached, with a later title label to the spine.  Armorial bookplate of Samuel Bowne Durea, of Brooklyn.  Very good.

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