bound volume of botanical prints; brown leather cover with embossed with crest in center and embellished edges; series of botanical renderings of various plants and grasses on pages, with hand-written descriptions at bottom, and simple white backgrounds

Botanical Watercolours I, c. 1784-1820

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These two albums of botanical paintings derive from what was once a 27 volume set depicting native plants of Britain. They were created by Louisa Finch, Countess of Aylesford whose maternal grandmother was the renowned naturalist and collector, Margaret Bentinck, Duchess of Portland. Lady Aylesford began the project in 1784, and when she concluded in 1818 she had painted over 2,800 botanical specimens. Many of these specimens she collected herself through fieldwork expeditions, but she also received hundreds of samples from an extensive correspondence network of experts located throughout Britain. Aylesford was widely respected in her day by other botanists, both for her scientific knowledge and her artistic abilities.

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Details
Title
Botanical Watercolours I
Artist Life
1760 - 1832
Role
Artist
Accession Number
2020.77.1
Curator Approved

This record has been reviewed by our curatorial staff but may be incomplete. These records are frequently revised and enhanced. If you notice a mistake or have additional information about this object, please email collectionsdata@artsmia.org.

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bound volume of botanical prints; brown leather cover with embossed with crest in center and embellished edges; series of botanical renderings of various plants and grasses on pages, with hand-written descriptions at bottom, and simple white backgrounds