Author: ELIZABETH MONTAGU
Title: Album of 50 botanical paintings on vellum
Date: various
Price: GBP £ 55,000
Book Code:

Album of 50 botanical paintings on vellum, 25 of which feature South African plants. Executed 1777-1780

Folio album (mount dimensions 460 x 375 mm, vellum sheet dimensions 340 x 255 mm), comprising one manuscript calligraphic title ‘Drawings by Elizabeth [Montagu] Duchess of Manchester' and 50 botanical paintings, body- and watercolours on vellum, the vellums mounted within a  green and yellow wash frame borders on heavy card, the vellums numbered consecutively 1-50, and botanical names in Latin and English, with places of origin, in pen on versos; contemporary straight-grained morocco, elaborate gilt panels with green and yellow morocco overlays with greek key border, floral border, gilt greek key dentelles, spine with elaborate gilt panels and green morocco label ‘Drawings', gilt edges, bookplate and label of Kimbolton Castle on front marbled paper pastedown.    
                                                                                          £55,000

A fine series of beautifully executed paintings of exotic flowering plants recently introducted into cultivation, and half of which come from South Africa. They are painted in the style of Ehret. Elizabeth Montagu (1741-1832) was an accomplished botanical artist, who may have been taught by Peter Brown (fl 1758-99), court painter to the Prince of Wales, and probable pupil of Georg Dionysius Ehret.
The South African specimens reflect some of the introductions made by the botanist and plant collector Francis Masson (1741-1805), who was sent by Kew Gardens to South Africa in 1772 to collect plants and bulbs. He collected until the end of 1775, before going on to the Canaries, Azores, Maderia, and West Indies (where many of the other plants depicted derive from), returning to England in 1781. This time frame matches closely that of the present album. He was working under the aegis of Sir Joseph Banks, director of Kew, and also friend of George Montagu, Elizabeth's husband, so a Masson/Kew provenance of the plants is most likely.

 

‘DRAWINGS BY ELIZABETH [MONTAGU] DUCHESS OF MANCHESTER'

American Lady Slipper (1777)
The morning Plant - The East india's
Erica Longiflora. Long flower'd Heath - The Cape of Good Hope
Erica Cyrinthoides. Scarlet flower'd Heath - The Cape of Good Hope
Trapeolum Perigrina - Peru
Campanula Carpatica. Grand flower'd Bell-flower - South of Europe
Heart leav'd Geranium - The Cape of Good Hope
Geranium Trigonum - The Cape of Good Hope
Narrow leav'd Ice Plant - The Cape of Good Hope
 Pink flower'd Heath - The Cape of Good Hope
 Hyacinth flower'd Antholyza - The Cape of Good Hope (1772)
 Digitalis ambigua. Yellow fox-glove - Switzerland
 Cistus Cretica - Italy
 Starry Campion - Virginia
 Cut leav'd annual Geranium - The Cape of Good Hope
 Three leav'd Indigo - The Cape of Good Hope
 Diffuse Crans-berry - Carolina
 Tamarind Tree - Jamaica
 Hibiscus vetusa - The Cape of Good Hope 
 Echium Lusetanicum - Portugal
 Plain leav'd Fig-marigold - The Cape of Good Hope
 Strip'd flower'd Fig-marigold - The Cape of Good Hope
 Narrow-leav'd Heath - The Cape of Good Hope
 Broad-leav'd Speedwell - South of Europe
 Fruiting Crambe - Madeira
 Horse-tail leav'd caparine - South Sea (1779)
 Silk Tree - Turkey
 Cut-leav'd Aster - The Cape of Good Hope
 Dark Red Ixia - The Cape of Good Hope
 Masonia Latifolia - The Cape of Good Hope
 Sweet scented Olive - China
 Blush Corn-flag - The Cape of Good Hope
 Superb Amaryllis - Africa
 Climbing Fumatory - Africa
 Curve-flower'd Heath - The Cape of Good Hope
 Stripp'd-flower'd Water-lilly - North America
 Cut-leav'd Solanum - the East India's
 Hyacinth-flower'd Squill
 Succulent Fig-marigold - The Cape of Good Hope
 Spotted-flower'd Alstromenia - Peru
 Protea rapens - The Cape of Good Hope (1780)
 Shrubby willow leav'd Spurge - Jamaica
 Amarylis Longifolia - The Cape of Good Hope
 Wing seeded Saphora - South Sea
 Hairy Saphora - The Cape of Good Hope
 Dwarf Arctotis - The Cape of Good Hope
 Small-leav'd Saphora - South Sea
 Broad leav'd Annona - Jamaica
 Colutea perennis - South of Europe
 Climbing Asparagus - The Cape of Good Hope