Lot 110: KNOOP, Johann Hermann (1700-1769). Pomologia, das ist beschreibungen und abbildungen der besten sorten der Aepfel und Birnen, welche in Holland, Deutschland, Frankfreich, Engeland . Nuremberg: Johann Michael Seligmann, 1760-1766.

KNOOP, Johann Hermann (1700-1769). Pomologia, das ist beschreibungen und abbildungen der besten sorten der Aepfel und Birnen, welche in Holland, Deutschland, Frankfreich, Engeland. Nuremberg: Johann Michael Seligmann, 1760-1766. 2 volumes in one, 2° (345 x 242mm). 44 fine hand-coloured engraved plates by J.M. Seligmann after Knoop and J.C. Sänger, woodcut type ornaments, decorative head- and tail-pieces. (Title to vol. I with two tears repaired from gutter and paper repair to fore-edge, occasional spotting throughout, some offsetting and toning of the text.) Contemporary mottled calf, flat gilt spine, hand-coloured decorative endpapers, all edges red (some chipping and worming, scuff mark to lower cover, spine ends worn, lacking one of two morocco labels). Provenance: Kezthely library Hungary (neat library stamp to margin of title-page) -- unidentified Viscount's bookplate to front pastedown. FIRST GERMAN EDITION of Knoop's Pomologia, with clean, crisp plates of apples and pears. The 'first great work [on fruits] of real importance' (Bunyard), originally published in Dutch in 1758. The author occupied the post of court gardener to her Serene Highness Marie-Louise, Princess of Orange and Nassau, where he cultivated the finest examples of fruit from Dutch, French and English sources. The title-page to this German edition emphasises how true to life the engravings are ('nach dem Leben abgebildet und mit ihren natürlichen Farben erleuchter'), and the plates undoubtedly achieve a striking degree of naturalism for the period. Nissen BBI, 1080; Pritzel 4754; Stafleu and Cowan 3766.

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