WILLKOMM, M. Icones et Descriptiones Plantarum novarum criticarum et rariorum Europae Austra-Occidentalis praecipue Hispaniae. Lipsiae, A.H. Payne, 1852-1856 (-1862). 2 volumes. Large-4to (330 x 260mm). pp. 113; 182, with 168 all but one finely handcoloured plates. Contemporary half calf, gilt lettering on spines, marbled sides.
($ 4,100)    fl.  9.000
First and only edition. One of the very few copies with the plates coloured. This scarce work was issued with plain and coloured plates. Plate 74 showing details of flowers was never coloured. Moriz Willkomm (1821-1895) was a German botanist and explorer, and travelled in Spain and Portugal from 1844-1845 and in 1855. He became professor of Botany at a.o. Leipzig and Dorpat and was an authority on the botany of the Iberian peninsula. The beautifully handcoloured plates were drawn by the author and lithographed by A.H. Payne. They show new and little known plants from south-western Europe. W. Junk in his 'Bibliographia Botanica' of 1909 tells that the work is difficult to find.

Provenance: Bookplate of E. Bunat; Small library duplicate stamp of 'Conservatoire Botanique de Genève'; Bookplate of the Horticultural Society of New York, Bequest of Kenneth K. Mackenzie.

Nissen BBI, 2164; Stafleu & Cowan 17.846.