The Golden Age of Botanical Art - book of the month
Kew's 'Book of the month' is The Golden Age of Botanical Art, by Martyn Rix. Read on to discover more about this fantastic new book, published by Andre Deutsch in association with the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew.
29 Nov 2012
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This has to be the prize garden gift for 2012.
Tim Richardson, The Telegraph, 24 November 2012
From ancient frescoes to the studies produced by the plant hunters of the nineteenth and twentieth centuries, portrayals of plants have long held a fascination for all those who love nature. The Golden Age of Botanical Art is a lavish new book that explores and celebrates this phenomonon.
Beautifully illustrated with images from Kew’s Library, Art and Archives
Highlighting the classic work of the seventeenth to the nineteenth centuries, and beautifully illustrated with over 250 rare, or previously unpublished, images from Kew’s Library, Art and Archives, The Golden Age of Botanical Art brings together the stories of brave and intrepid explorers (some of whom became botanical artists by default) and the many professional artists who recorded for posterity the flora discovered on their expeditions.
About the author
Martyn Rix is a botanist and the Editor of Curtis’s Botanical Magazine, and has an unrivalled knowledge of botanical art. With a PhD in Botany from the University of Cambridge, he has worked at the University Botanic Garden in Zurich and at the RHS Garden, Wisley, and has made many expeditions to different parts of the world, to collect new plants for gardens.
Martyn is the author or co-author of a number of books, including the highly acclaimed The Botanical Garden.
A global story of botanical art
Truly global in its scope, this fascinating history of botanical art crosses centuries and continents looking at the artistry of China and India, delving into the sketchbooks of globetrotting men and women and following the voyages of those who discovered new species and new worlds as far apart as Africa and South America, whether they were hardened scientists or intrepid Victorian ladies.
Including features on key figures – from Leonardo da Vinci to the artists of Empress Josephine Bonaparte – The Golden Age of Botanical Art shows that what might have been a gentle pastime for some in fact made a significant contribution to our understanding of the world and the glories of nature.
Buy 'The Golden Age of Botanical Art' today
Publication details - 283 x 245 mm, 256 pp, 250 colour and b/w images, Hardback, ISBN 978 0 233 00364 1. Look inside! (pdf)
Buy now - special Kew price £18 (RRP £25)
You might also like ...
- The Plant Hunters, by Carolyn Fry
- Kingdom of Plants, by Will Benson (Foreword by Professor Stephen Hopper)
- Kew Magazine - Golden Boy article, by Martyn Rix (pdf)
- Kew’s new interactive iPad book version of The Plant Hunters
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