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86 BOTANICAL DRAWINGS OF SOUTH AFRICAN FLOWERS

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[BOTANICAL DRAWINGS]. MOSNIER, A. [South African Flowering Plants].
[United States or Canada?], ca. 1905. An album (32 x 42 cm) containing a series of 86 ink and watercolour botanical drawings on paper (each about 27 x 18.5 cm) showing South African flowering plants, all but 10 with the species name and the signature of the artist, A. Mosnier. The drawings mounted on the leaves of a contemporary commercial photograph album (blocked green cloth).

Orders and Information € 3250

A well-executed series of 86 botanical drawings of South African flowering plants, all in a consistent style and format on two fine Whatman laid paper stocks, with watermarked dates 1902 and 1904. All but ten give the species or occasionally only the genus name (mostly in Latin, but a few in English) and are signed by the artist, A. Mosnier. Although we have not identified this artist, the drawings demonstrate considerable skill. The 86 flowers shown include many species of Iridaceae, Ericaceae, Proteaceae and Orchidaceae, as well as Rutaceae, Hycinthaceae, Asteraceae, Lobeliaceae, Scrophulariaceae, Nymphaeaceae, Aizoaceae, Solanaceae, Thymelaeacae, Crassulaceae, Bruniaceae, Lamiaceae and Campanulaceae.
Each drawing measures about 27 or 27.5 by 18.5 or 19 cm, and are probably Imperial octavo leaves. The watermarks ("J Whatman 1902" and "J Whatman 1904") would have appeared once in each sheet, along the foot of the sheet, centred in one half, so that about one fourth of the drawings show the left or right half of the watermark.
Mounted two to a page on both sides of the 24 paperboard leaves of a contemporary commercial photograph album, with 5 of the album's 48 pages unused. The front board shows a large art nouveau block bearing the word "Photographs" supported by lions and with roses ("Reg[istere]d Design," signed M. Levy). In very good condition and only slightly trimmed (shaving a leaf or stem in 4 drawings). A nice series of botanical drawings of South African flowering plants.