Books and Manuscripts

Lemaire, Ch(arles)., and L(ouis). Van Houtte, et al.
Flore des Serres et des Jardins de l'Europe…
Ghent: Louis Van Houtte, 1845-80. In 23 volumes. 8vo. Edited by Louis Van Houtte, Charles Lemaire, Michael Scheidweiler, and others. Each volume with half-title. Illustrated with approximately 2,050 lithographic and chromolithographic plates (some finished by hand, several folding and double-page), and numerous full-page and in-text black and white engraved illustrations, by Louis-Constantin Stroobant, Guillaume Severeyns, and Pieter De Pannemaker. Contemporary quarter red morocco over marbled paper-covered boards, stamped in gilt, boards and extremities variously rubbed and very lightly worn, scratch along spine of Vol. 12, gash in lower rear spine of Vol. 13; signed in gilt at bottom of each spine “A. Brun”; black speckled edges; marbled endpapers; scattered light foxing to text and plates; some plates trimmed close along edges, just touching some captions; folding plate “Rhododendrum Argenteum” separated along center fold. Sitwell, pp. 157-159; Pritzel 10738; Nissen BBI 2254

A complete run of this important Belgian horticulture journal, featuring over 2,000 magnificent chromolithographic and lithographic plates of plants from around the world, both exotic, familiar, terrestrial and aquatic. Flore des Serres was founded in 1845 by Belgian horticulturalist Louis Von Houtte, in collaboration with French botanist Charles Lemaire and German botanist Michael Scheidweiler. Houtte, a notable plant explorer, was renowned for his successful Belgian nursery, Etablissement Louis van Houtte. By the 1870s it was one of the largest in Europe and cultivated plants for conservatories around the world, as well as royalty. Issued monthly for 40 years, this periodical doubled as a catalogue for plants in Houtte's nursery, and utilized some of the finest lithographers of the day. The impressive and highly detailed illustrations depict the plants in their natural setting, while also depicting views of their places or origin, and is certainly one of the finest horticultural works ever produced, and one of the pinnacles of lithography.

A. Brun is presumably Albert-Jean-Louis Brun (1851-1929), vulcanologist, and chemist of the University of Bern, Switzerland, and "licencié ès sciences" of the University of Sorbonne, France.

Plate counts seemingly differ by copy, with Sitwell calling for 2,471 colored and 56 uncolored plates, while Nissen and Pritzel do not provide a plate count. We have seen copies in the auction record with a similar plate count as this set, and others catalogued as having approximately 2,500 plates, or with the above Sitwell count. The discrepancy in plate counts could be attributed to the counting or not counting of the black and white engraved illustrations.