Nuremberg: hothouse of botanical illustration

Research on our collection of botanical illustrations has revealed many connections with the city of Nuremberg. For example, in 2001 we acquired an original hand-coloured engraving from the Hortus Eystettensis (1613), a magnificent florilegium created by the Nuremberg apothecary, Basilius Besler (1561-1629) which recorded all the plants in the garden of the Bishop of Eichstatt, Conrad von Gemmingen.

Nuremberg was also the home of Christoph Jacob Trew (1695-1769), an influential physician, anatomist and botanist. Trew was an important patron who commissioned the master artist Georg Dionysius Ehret to produce illustrations for Plantae Selectae (1750 – 73), one of the great botanical iconographies. The Museum holds 27 loose prints from this work. This research project will explore the development of Nuremberg as a centre for excellence in botanical illustration and publication. The links with our collections will be described and a research visit to the city is planned.