Robert Warner | Select orchidaceous plants. London, 1862–1875, outstanding botanical lithographs by Fitch - photo 1
Robert Warner | Select orchidaceous plants. London, 1862–1875, outstanding botanical lithographs by Fitch - photo 2
Robert Warner | Select orchidaceous plants. London, 1862–1875, outstanding botanical lithographs by Fitch - photo 3
Robert Warner | Select orchidaceous plants. London, 1862–1875, outstanding botanical lithographs by Fitch - photo 4

Robert Warner | Select orchidaceous plants. London, 1862–1875, outstanding botanical lithographs by Fitch

Starting price
£ 6 000
Auction dateClassic
28.11.2023 14:00UTC +01:00
Auctioneer
Sotheby´s
Event location
United Kingdom, London
Archive
The auction is completed. No bids can be placed anymore.
Archive
ID 1076610
Lot 87 | Robert Warner | Select orchidaceous plants. London, 1862–1875, outstanding botanical lithographs by Fitch
Robert Warner and Benjamin S[amuel] Williams

Select orchidaceous plants. [first and second series] London: Lovell Reeve & Co., 1862-65; 1865-75

FIRST EDITION, 2 volumes, folio (447 x 315mm.)

79 HAND-COLOURED LITHOGRAPHED PLATES by J. Andrews and W. H. Fitch, original green cloth with metal cornerpieces, covers lettered in gilt, gilt edges, minor foxing on blank versos of some plates, very occasionally transferring onto other plates, binding rebacked, two metal cornerpieces missing

With lovely illustrations by a distinguished botanical artist attached to Kew Gardens, these two volumes comprise a first and second series of works celebrating the exotic orchid family, flowers that enjoyed a particular vogue (and inspired a number of publications) among British gardeners of the Victorian period.

The first series, published between 1862 and 1865, contained forty plates, and proved so successful that the author undertook a second series immediately, which appeared between 1865 and 1875, with thirty-nine plates. A third series was published from 1877, but it is of very considerable rarity and seldom seen on the market.

Many of the plates in the first series and all of the plates in the second series were executed by the noted botanical illustrator Walter Hood Fitch (1817-1892), called by Blunt & Stearn “the most outstanding botanical artist of his day in Europe” (The Art of Botanical Illustration, p. 265). Fitch was the preferred artist of eminent British botanist W. J. Hooker, the first director of Kew Gardens.
Address of auction Sotheby´s
34-35 New Bond Street
W1A 2AA London
United Kingdom
Preview
28.11.2023
Phone +44 (0) 20 7293 5000
Phone +1 212 606 7000
Email
4FQ.AE2YUKFA@AYGLGHC3Y@
Conditions of purchaseConditions of purchase

Related terms

Frequently asked questions

First of all, you should register to be able to purchase at auction. After confirming your email address, enter your personal information in your user profile, such as your first name, last name, and mail address. Choose a lot from the upcoming auction and the maximum amount you want to place on it. After confirmation of your choice, we will send your application by e-mail to the appropriate auction house. If the auction house accepts a request, it will participate in the auction. You can view the current status of a bid at any time in your personal account in the "Bids" section.
Auctions are performed by auction houses and each of the auction houses describes their terms of auction. You can see the texts in the section "Auction information".
The results of the auction are published within a few days after the end of the auction. In the top menu of the site, find the tab "Auctions". Click on it and you will be on the auction catalog page, where you can easily find the category "Results". After opening it, select the desired auction from the list, enter and view the current status of the interested lot.
The information about the auction winners is confidential. The auction winner will receive a direct notification from the auction house responsible with instructions for further action: an invoice for payment and the manner in which the goods will be received.
Each of the auction houses has its own payment policy for the won lots. All auction houses accept bank transfers, most of them accept credit card payments. In the near future you will find detailed information for each case in the section "Auction information" on the page of the auction catalog and the lot.
Shipment of the won lot depends on its size. Small items can be delivered by post. Larger lots are sent by courier. Employees of the auction houses will offer you a wide range to choose from.
No. The archive serves as a reference for the study of auction prices, photographs and descriptions of works of art.