Paul Kitaibel: Descriptiones Et Icones Plantarum Rariorum Hungariae

Paul Kitaibel: Descriptiones Et Icones Plantarum Rariorum Hungariae – Pytheas Books –

Vienna (Austria) — 1802–1812

The fascinating world of plants and flowers of the Carpathian Basin: with its 280 hand-colored plates one of the most beautiful botanical works of all time

  1. This collection of the plants and flowers of the Carpathian Basin is one of the most beautiful books of its type

  2. The three volume work represents the findings of the famous biologist Paul Kitaibel (1757–1817) from his travels

  3. It was financed by Count Franz Waldstein (1759–1823), an Austrian commander who studied botany under Kitaibel

Paul Kitaibel: Descriptiones Et Icones Plantarum Rariorum Hungariae

Price Category: €€ (1,000€ - 3,000€)
Edition available
Price: Log in here!
  1. Description
  2. Detail Picture
  3. Single Page
  4. Facsimile Editions (2)
Description
Paul Kitaibel: Descriptiones Et Icones Plantarum Rariorum Hungariae

After a career in the Austrian Army, Count Franz von Waldstein (1759–1823) devoted himself to botany and commissioned one of the most important works of the emerging science: Descriptiones Et Icones Plantarum Rariorum Hungariae. Written by Paul Kitaibel (1757–1817), professor of botany at the University of Pest, its three volumes are a summation of his years of travel and observation throughout Hungary, Croatia, and adjoining regions. This important text is decorated with 280 colored engravings detailing the flora, fauna, minerals, and even folklore of the regions he visited.

Paul Kitaibel: Descriptiones Et Icones Plantarum Rariorum Hungariae

This collection of the plants and flowers of the Carpathian Basin is one of the most beautiful books of its type. Paul Kitaibel (1757–1817), the famous botanist made long journeys in the Carpathian Basin at the end of the 18th century. During these trips, he collected and described the different plants, rocks, and analyzed the mineral water as well. This work was the basis for the 3 volumes presented here in this richly illustrated album. It contains 280 beautifully hand-colored engraved plates of which 16 fold out. This is a fine, unabridged, and unusually fresh copy of the first (and only) edition of this monumental study of the flora of Hungary and adjacent territories, including Croatia, with splendid graphics in the Viennese ‘Jacquin’ style.

A Grand Botanical Research Project

The text is by Paul Kitaibel, professor of botany at the University of Pest. He spent much of his career roaming Hungary and collecting botanical, zoological, and mineralogical specimens as well as folklore. His collections of botanical and mineralogical specimens formed the basis for the natural history collection of the Hungarian National Museum. The work was financed by Count Franz Waldstein (1759–1823), an Austrian military leader who fought against the Turks in the Austro-Turkish War (1788–91), Russia, and various North African states as a Maltese knight. Beginning in 1789, he devoted himself to botany, travelling with Kitaibel through Hungary collecting plants, interspersed with military service. His herbarium is stored today in Prague. The water colors are signed by Hirscher and the plates are engraved by Karl Schutz after drawings by his son Johann.

Codicology

Size / Format
3 volumes - 676 pages / 48.8 × 34.5 cm
Origin
Austria
Date
1802–1812
Language
Illustrations
280 handcolored engraved plates
Content
Herbarium
Patron
Count Franz Waldstein (1759–1823)
Artist / School

Available facsimile editions:
Detail Picture

Paul Kitaibel: Descriptiones Et Icones Plantarum Rariorum Hungariae

Salvia nutans

Commonly called “nodding sage” due to its drooping bunches of blue flowers, Salvia nutans, is indigenous to the meadows of Central and Eastern Europe with a range extending as far as Siberia. Although rarely used in European gardens as an ornamental plant, it was imported to North America due to its peculiar and interesting clusters of overhanging flowers. The plant has since gone “wild” and become naturalized in the states of Minnesota and New York.

Paul Kitaibel: Descriptiones Et Icones Plantarum Rariorum Hungariae – Pytheas Books –
Single Page

Paul Kitaibel: Descriptiones Et Icones Plantarum Rariorum Hungariae

Waldsteinia geoides

Waldsteinia is a genus of Rosaceae, the rose family, which appears in temperate regions of the northern hemisphere across the world. It is sometimes referred to as “barren strawberry” due to its appearance, especially when its yellow flowers are not in bloom. Thanks to its hearty root system, three varieties are cultivated as perennial ground cover in gardens in North America, Europe, and Asia, respectively.
The European variety, Waldsteinia geoides, is indigenous to the southeast of the continent and its range extends from Hungary and Croatia to the western regions of Ukraine. At the top of the page, the five stages of the plant’s flowering period, which occurs from April to May, is depicted in detail from bud to seed.

Paul Kitaibel: Descriptiones Et Icones Plantarum Rariorum Hungariae – Pytheas Books –
Facsimile Editions

#1 Paul Kitaibel: Descriptiones Et Icones Plantarum Rariorum Hungariae

Pytheas Books – Budapest, 2020

Publisher: Pytheas Books – Budapest, 2020
Binding: Linen binding with half-leather spine
3 volumes: Exact reproduction of the original document (extent, color and size) Reproduction of the entire original document as detailed as possible (scope, format, colors). The binding may not correspond to the original or current document binding. Volume I: 143 black and white pages and 100 color pages (illustrations), printed on one side. Volume II: 156 black and white pages and 100 color pages (illustrations), printed on one side. Volume III: 97 black and white pages and 80 color pages (illustrations), printed on one side.
Price Category: €€ (1,000€ - 3,000€)
Edition available
Price: Log in here!

#2 Paul Kitaibel: Descriptiones Et Icones Plantarum Rariorum Hungariae

Pytheas Books – Budapest, 2020

Publisher: Pytheas Books – Budapest, 2020
Binding: Hardcover binding with linen spine
3 volumes: Exact reproduction of the original document (extent, color and size) Reproduction of the entire original document as detailed as possible (scope, format, colors). The binding may not correspond to the original or current document binding. Volume I: 143 black and white pages and 100 color pages (illustrations), printed on one side. Volume II: 156 black and white pages and 100 color pages (illustrations), printed on one side. Volume III: 97 black and white pages and 80 color pages (illustrations), printed on one side. In volume I there is a 4 page study, in volume II and volume III there is a 6-page plant description.
Price Category: €€ (1,000€ - 3,000€)
Edition available
Price: Log in here!
You might also be interested in:
Abu´l Qasim Halaf ibn Abbas al-Zahraui – Chirurgia – Akademische Druck- u. Verlagsanstalt (ADEVA) – Cod. Vindob. S. N. 2641 – Österreichische Nationalbibliothek (Vienna, Austria)
Abu´l Qasim Halaf ibn Abbas al-Zahraui – Chirurgia
Southern Italy – 2nd half of the 14th century

A milestone in medicine, the leading treatise on surgery for more than 500 years is replete with vivid miniatures: the great textbook by the famous Arab doctor Abu l'Quasim

Experience More
Sloane Tractatus de Herbis – M. Moleiro Editor – Sloane MS 4016 – British Library (London, United Kingdom)
Sloane Tractatus de Herbis
Lombardy (Italy) – 1440

With realistic plant illustrations on all 218 pages: a lexicon of medieval medicinal plants in the possession of the doctor and botanist Sir Hans Sloane

Experience More
Blog articles worth reading
Filter selection
Publisher