Narcissus Major, Narcissus minor: Sweert 1612

Title: Narcissus Major, Narcissus minor Author: Emanuel Sweert Date: 1612 Medium: Hand-colored copperplate engraving Condition: Very Good - light age toning and foxing Inches: 8 1/8 x 13 1/4 [Platemark] Centimeters: 20.64 x 33.66 [Platemark] Product ID: 100359 From Florilegium Amplissimum et Selectissimum, Frankfurt-am-Main, 1612.Dutch painter and nurseryman Emanuel Sweert (1552-1612) lived in a period when Europeans were receiving an influx of new and exotic plants brought by Dutch, English, and French trading vessels from all over the world. To meet burgeoning public interest in these plants, a trend which would culminate in the wild craze of 'Tulipomania,' many wealthy merchants established nurseries in order to meet demand. As a result, the production of nursery catalogues created a new market for botanical illustration. Sweert prepared his Florilegium as a guide to his available stock for the Frankfurt Fair of 1612. The plates, depicting some 560 bulbs and flowers, were