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he Banks' Florilegium consists of seven hundred and forty three botanical line engravings, after the watercolours drawn from nature by Sydney Parkinson, which record the plants collected by Sir Joseph Banks and Dr. Daniel Carl Solander in Medeira, Brazil, Tierra del Fuego, the Society Islands, New Zealand, Australia and Java on Captain James Cook's first voyage round the world 1768-1771.

The engravings are printed in colour a la poupee, up to ten colours being worked directly into the single plate before each print is pulled, with additional details added in watercolour. Each sheet is identified by a blind embossed stamp on the recto, recording the publishers and printers chops, the copyright symbol and the date. The initials of the individual printer, the plate number and the edition number are recorded in pencil.

The plates are virtually uniform in size: (18 x 12 inches (457 x 305 mm). The paper used is Somerset mould-made 300gsm, each sheet watermarked "AHE", produced in a special making by the Inveresk Paper Company: 28 1/2 x 21 7/8 inches (724 x 556 mm)

The compilation of the botanical information was made under the direction of the British Museum (Natural History). It consists of the relevant botanical, geographical and historical facts (including the names of the artists and engravers) which are printed on the individual mounts.

Each of the engravings is protected with a double fold sheet of Somerset mould-made 300gsm paper, acid free and cut to form a window mount.

These superlative line engravings were made under Joseph Banks' personal direction between 1772 and 1784.

The first edition from the original copper plates was published in thirty five parts between 1980 and 1990. The edition of one hundred numbered sets was fully subscribed.

Please note: Although the one hundred numbered sets of the full Banks' Florilegium was fully subscribed we do have one copy of the complete set available. The set is in its original shipping cartons which have never been opened. This would probably be the last remaining unopened set in the world and one of the few remaining complete sets, as many of the original 100 sets were separated for the individual prints. If you require more information on this extremely rare offering please e-mail us.

We are also able to offer a limited number of individual engravings, examples follow:

Plate 84: Castanaspermum australe		Plate 74: Kennedia rubicunda
Plate 223: Ipomea indica		Plate 604: Metrosideros collina
Plate 163: Wedilia spilanthoides		Plate 615: Gardenia taitensis
Plate 243: Pandorea pandorana		Plate 741: Banksia Ericifolia
Plate 586: Crataeva religiosa		Plate 686: Ribes magellanicum
Plate 258: Ajuga australis		Plate 699: Apium australe

There are other engravings available. Please e-mail us for a full list and prices.