KOPS, Jan. (With: P.M.E. GEVERS DEYNOOT; Jhr. F.A. HARTSEN; F.W. van EEDEN; L. VUYCK; and others).
[Title volumes I-VI:] Flora Batava, afgebeeld door en van wegens J.C. Sepp en Zoon; beschreven door Jan Kops. [Title volumes V-XXIV:] Flora Batava of afbeelding en beschrijving van Nederlandsche gewassen.
Amsterdam, J.C. Sepp en Zoon; Leiden, De Breuk & Smits; Haarlem, De Erven & Vincent Loosjes; Den Haag, Martinus Nijhoff, [1800], 1807-1915. 24 volumes and 2 index volumes. Large 4to (30 x 24 cm). With 11 engraved title-pages for volumes 1-11 (the first with a hand-coloured vignette and with letterpress title pages for volumes 12-24) and with 1920 full page (and some double-page) engraved and lithographed botanical plates, all beautifully coloured by hand. With:
(2) TRAPPEN, J.E. van der. Algemeen register op de thans uitgegeven acht deelen van de Flora Batava met eenige aanmerkingen.
(Preface:) Utrecht, 1844. [Probably published in Amsterdam, J.C. Sepp & Zoon, 1844].
(3) [KOPS, J., F.W. van EEDEN and others (eds.)]. Flora Batava. Afbeelding en beschrijving der Nederlandsche gewassen. ... Alphabetisch register, deel I-XIV.
Leiden, De Breuk & Smits, 1874.
Contemporary(?) uniform half gold-tooled tree marbled calf portfolios, marbled paper sides, with gold-tooled red morocco spine labels bearing the general title and the volume number, all with (remnants of) green ties at all edges. Loose as issued in the portfolios.
€ 17,500
The very first beautifully illustrated comprehensive description of the wild flora of the Netherlands: an absolute highlight of 19th-century botanical book production. The present set consists of the first 24 (of 28) volumes, complete with all 1920 hand-coloured engraved and lithographed botanical plates, and 2 index volumes. Each plate is accompanied by a detailed description in both Dutch and French, giving the plant's scientific and generic names in multiple languages (Latin, Dutch, French, German, and English) and its characteristics, habitats, and uses.
The Flora Batava was first published in 1800 and the total of 28 volumes containing 2240 coloured plates showing more than 2630 kinds of wild plants, fungi, mosses, and algae together with approximately 5000 pages of text. The fine plates are considered to be among the best of Dutch botanical illustration. The work appeared in instalments - each containing 5 plates, which were gathered into volumes of 80 plates each - over the course of the entire 19th century and well into the 20th century; the last volume was published in 1934. The plates in the first 24 volumes (nos. 1-1920) are engraved or lithographed and subsequently coloured by hand, the plates of the last four volumes (vols. 25-28, nos. 1921-2240) are chromo-lithographed. The first editor of this monumental work was Jan Kops (1765-1849), who was a Dutch botanist, agriculturalist and professor of agronomy and botany at Utrecht University. For volumes 5-10 Kops was assisted by the following Dutch botanists: Herman Christiaan van Hall (1801-1874), Friedrich Anton Wilhelm Miquel (1811-1871) and Johannes Everardus van der Trappen (1807?-1880). The editors for the other 18 volumes were, successively, the following Dutch botanists and scientists: Pieter Marie Eduard Gevers Deynoot (1816-1860), Frederik Anthony Hartsen (1838-1877), Frederik Willem van Eeden (1829-1901), Laurens Vuyck (1862-1931), and Willem Jan Lütjeharms (1907-1983) assisted by Fredericus Cornelius August de Wever (1874-1947).
The portfolios of the first 9 volumes are worn, the rest show signs of wear, internally only very slightly browned along the edges of the leaves, but overall very fine and clean. Overall in very good condition. An unmatched display of Dutch flora, essential to any botanical collection. Great Flower Books, p. 108; Landwehr, coloured plates, 60; Nissen BBI 2247; Sotheby's, Magnificent botanical books, 196; Stafleu & Cowan 3874; cf. BMNH 1016 (8vo ed.); Johnston, Cleveland Herbal, 663 (vols 1-10); Pritzel (vols 1-13); not in Hunt; Oak spring flora; Plesch.
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