Lot 151: HILL John - Lilly, Lavatera - FOLIO - Original 18th Century Botany Engraving

Plates of garden flowers and plants from an 18th century work on gardening compiled by John Hill, a prominent botanist and important, albeit controversial, figure in the British Enlightenment. John Hill was born in either 1714 or 1716 and was trained as a pharmacist.  After working in that profession, in horticulture, and briefly as an actor, his well-received translation of a Greek treatise on mineralogy opened the door to a career as an author.  The range of his production suggests a wide-ranging intellect: some 76 works in the fields of science, theology and naval history, as well as plays and novels.  However, his most impressive and lasting achievements were in botany, especially The Vegetable System (1759-1775), a 26-volume work with 1,600 plates that he designed and etched himself, The British Herbal (1756) and Eden, or a Compleat Body of Gardening (1756-57). Hill is credited with introducing the Linnaean system of botanical nomenclature to England, though he disagreed with some aspects of it and reinstated some pre-Linnaean names in own works.  In 1750, he received a medical degree from the University of St. Andrews, and was later knighted by the King of Sweden, which permitted him to use the honorific "Sir." He also worked as a gardener at Kensington Palace and apparently participated in planning what would become the great botanical garden at Kew. 

~16 x 10 inches

Hand coloured copperplate engraving

1757

VG/Excellent. Due to the age of the artwork, some imperfections can be expected. Please view the detailed photo(s) below carefully.

Eden, or a Compleat Body of Gardening

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