Lot 14: BONELLI, GIORGIO

BONELLI, GIORGIO Hortus Romanus juxta systema Tournefortianum paulo strictus distributus. Rome: Bouchard and Gravier, 1772–1780 6 volumes (of 8), folio (22 x 15 1/2 in.; 560 x 392 mm). Half-titles, letterpress titles printed in red and black each with a different handcolored engraved vignette, double-page engraved prospectus Horti Romani by Andrea de Rossi printed in green, 5 engraved portraits of the Pope and 4 cardinals (Clement XIV, Bernis, Zelada, Giraud, and Boncampagnio), historiated engraved initials, 600 handcolored engraved plates chiefly by Maddalena Bouchard after Cesare Ubertini and Liberato and Constantino Sabbatin; lacking volumes 7–8, light to moderate discoloration of 12 text leaves and 90 plates, a few stains and smudges, chiefly to white ground of plates, short marginal tear to pl. 26 in vol. 4. Contemporary half vellum (dyed red) over geometrically patterned boards, spines lettered and decorated gilt; extremities abraded, losses to foot of spine in vol. 1, loss to head of spine in vol. 3, some chips and minor losses along length of spine of vol. 5.

Cleveland Collection 509 (lacks vols. 7–8); Dunthorne 45; Great Flower Books, p. 51; Hunt 629 (lacks vols. 6–8); Nissen BBI 200; Pritzel 976; Stafleu & Cowan TL2 634

Oettingen-Wallerstein Bibliothek (library stamps on title-pages and text leaves)

First edition. Bonelli was an Italian physician and professor of medicine at Rome who arranged the material for the first volume according to the Tournefortian system from specimens and descriptions provided by Liberato Sabbatin, the custodian of the garden. The remaining volumes were also arranged according to Tournefort's system, but with Linnaean binomials added by Niccolo Martelli, an Italian physician and professor of botany, from specimens and descriptions supplied by Liberato and Constantino Sabbatin, According to Nissen, who had seen the prospectus, the first volume was limited to 300 copies; and it is speculated that lesser numbers of the succeeding volumes were produced, thus explaining the frequency of incomplete sets.

While Blunt was none too complimentary about the quality of the drawings, Dunthorne had kinder words for Maddalena Bouchard's efforts "which are ... engraved in an unusually broad manner, well colorured with opaque colours, producing extremely decorative plates, noteworthy among which are those of melons, cucumbers, gourds, pineapple, aloes, tulips, datura, etc."