N.p.n.d. [France, first half of the 19th century].
Folio manuscript [377 x 283 mm] including 1 watercolored title, 15 handwritten ll. and 15 full-page watercolored plates of flowers protected with silky-paper, the whole mounted on guards. Green half-shagreen, green buckram covers, double gilt fillet and blind-stamped arabesques on the covers, large gilt initials “M.C.” on the center of the upper cover and mark of the Birds’ House gilt stamped on the center of the lower cover, flat spine, gilt edges. Contemporary binding.
Superb and precious handwritten herbarium entirely calligraphed gathering 15 original watercolors of flowers and as many explanatory text leaves on the opposite page.
Marie-Louise Le Corgne de Timadeuc had married in 1853 Henry Louis Victor Vicomte de Beaufranchet de la Chapelle. The herbarium, signed Marie Le Corgne was composed by the viscountess herself. She displays in this work a great knowledge about botany as well as a great skill for drawing and the watercolor technique.
This album, composed in the first half of the 19th century, encloses 15 very finely executed watercolors depicting Agarics, Oat, an Ephémérine, a Begonia, a Népenthe, a Renonée, a Bougainvillaea, a Bindweed, an Azalea, a Careopsis, a Manéttia, a Delphinium, a Fuchsia, a branch of Oak…
The very bright and colorful watercolors are captioned in French in brown ink.
The quality of execution of these drawings is exceptional, the artist having resorted to all of her skills.
Superb handwritten herbarium finely watercolored with bright and lively colors, preserved in its contemporary binding bearing the gilt-stamped initials of the author on the upper cover.
Provenance: from the personal collection of Marie-Le Corgne de Tmadeuc, vicomtesse de Beaufranchet de La Chapelle with ex-libris and gilt intials stamped on the upper cover of the binding.
See less information
