John Parkinson 17th Century Botanical Engravings of Mosses & Ferns - a Pair

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A New Paradise: John Parkinson's Horticultural Prints

Object: Pair of Hand-Colored Botanical Engravings (One of Mosses and Lichen, One of … Read more A New Paradise: John Parkinson's Horticultural Prints

Object: Pair of Hand-Colored Botanical Engravings (One of Mosses and Lichen, One of Ferns)
Source: Paradisi in Sole Paradisus Terrestris
Creator: John Parkinson (English, 1567–1650)
Date: Dated 1629
Medium: Copperplate Engraving

Dimensions: Framed: 26 inches x 20 3/4 inches; Sight: 15 1/4 inches x 9 1/2 inches.

This remarkable pair of hand-colored engravings originates from John Parkinson's influential 1629 work, Paradisi in Sole Paradisus Terrestris. The title, a playful Latin pun on Parkinson's name ("Park-in-Sun's Earthly Paradise"), signals the book's joyful shift in focus. It is often cited as the first purely horticultural book published in England, moving away from the ancient tradition of focusing solely on the medicinal properties of plants.

The detail in these engravings, depicting species of Mosses, Lichen, and Ferns, reflects the early $17^{th}$-century curiosity and scientific rigor applied to the natural world. Parkinson, who served as Apothecary to King James I and Royal Botanist to Charles I, stood at a critical juncture in botanical history. His publication was intended not for the apothecary's shop, but for the gentleman's pleasure garden, detailing the cultivation and varieties of "pleasant flowers" that the English climate would permit.

Historical Context: From Herbal to Flora

Prior to Paradisi, the dominant form of botanical study was the herbal, a tradition that had persisted since Dioscorides in the 1st century AD, which emphasized the use and virtues (medicinal properties) of plants. Eleven years after this publication, Parkinson would return to that older tradition with his massive compendium, Theatrum Botanicum (1640), often called the last great English herbal.

Thus, these engravings stand as part of a body of work that straddled two eras. They represent the intellectual turning point where botany branched from medicine into the independent science of horticulture, demonstrating the rising affluence and leisure time enjoyed by English society to cultivate plants purely for beauty and study. These prints were key in disseminating accurate visual information about plants to a wider audience than ever before.

References

Parkinson, John. Paradisi in Sole Paradisus Terrestris (1629).

The British Library / Royal Horticultural Society (RHS) collections for early English botanical works.

Blunt, Wilfrid. The Art of Botanical Illustration (General reference on the tradition).

(Ref: NY7378-nrrr) See less