An absolutely stunning, lavishly illustrated selection of botanical illustrations - Taschen at their best.The illustrations are from the collection at the Austrian National Library and are consequently accompanied by brief historical and technical notes in German, English and French. The notes themselves can be a tad impenetrable at times but do contain considerable historical information for the determined reader.
A concise introduction discusses the art and science of botanical illustration, the process of reproducing illustrations and the role and history of the Austrian National Library.
Even more memorable however are the 483 Coloured plates covering a whole range of plants and styles from the Byzantine period through the 'golden age' (mid 18th to 19th centuries) and on to a few present-day examples. The colours and details are beautifully reproduced in satisfying quarter to full-page sizes - no irritatingly minute monochrome efforts these, but full-on glorious technicolour.
Dozens of illustrators can be found within this brick of a tome. The 'greats' like Basilius Besler are well represented, but it is even more exciting to come across the startling skill and beauty of the work of lesser-known artists in the collection. The coverage of each artist is variable - a single outstanding image for some, for others a small gallery of milestone examples. All styles and techniques can be seen, from minutely detailed sepia-tints of skeletal leaves and root structures, to vivid watercolour Amaryllis and florid Rose.
At the back of the book can be found the bibliography and index. The comprehensive index system covers the items by Artist, Location, Plant AND original 'title' of each piece.
But all of the detail aside, this just is one of those books you pick up, flick through and fall instantly and utterly in love with. If you enjoy plants, admire illustration or are even, in fact, an actual botanist, I dare you to see this and resist the urge to take it home.
