Flowering Poppy [Papaver flore]; Wild Corn Poppy [Papaver Eraticum]

Artist or Author: Basilius Besler

Work: Hortus Eystettensis

Date of Publication: 1613

Style: Engraving

Paper Size: ~ 23 3/4" by 18 1/2"

Condition: The work is in good to excellent condition overall. There may be a few minor imperfections to be expected with age. Please review the image carefully for condition and contact us with any questions.

Description of the work: This rare first edition folio botanical engraving is from Basilius Besler's Hortus Eystettensis. It was published in 1613.



Bishop-prince Johann Konrad von Gemmingen created a magnificent garden to praise God and celebrate the diversity of creation. In the early 1600s, the bishop-prince commissioned Basilius Besler to create a catalogue of his garden and thus Hortus Eystettensis was produced.

Besler’s work, which depicted over 1100 specimens, is still widely considered one of the best botanical works ever created. Most of the plants depicted were drawn at their actual size. The first edition of the work was printed in 1613 and consisted of only about 300 copies. Hortus Eystettensis is truly a masterpiece and one of the most comprehensive and alluring botanical works ever produced. In the preface to an 1806 edition, Franz Seraph Widmann said “...by reason of...the magnificence of its engravings, [this work] deserves to rank high among the rarest works of its kind."