Alexis Dallière, Alfred Cogniaux & Élie Marchal
Les Plantes Ornementales à Feuillage Panaché & Coloré.
Gand, L. Stroobant, 1873-74
Two volumes. Oblong folio, 260x350 mm.
Lithographed title to volume two, two printed titles, indexes and letterpress descriptions.
Illustrated with 50 chromolithographed plates and 10 stone lithographed plates.
[4], [60]; [6], [58] pp.
Contemporary gilt-lettered cloth
Nissen, BBI, 448. Gand, 1873-74
Very rare first and only edition of a collection of mostly coloured lithographs of variegated plants, with explanatory texts. The work was directed by Belgian botanist Alexis Dallière (1823–1901) and edited by his colleagues Alfred Cogniaux (1841–1916) and Élie Marchal (1839–1923). Each plate is accompanied by two pages of explanatory text, offering a brief description of the appearance, growth characteristics and cultivation of plants, including camellia, hydrangea japonica and croton fugatum. Cognieux had also contributed to the Dictionnaire iconographique des orchidées (1896) and Les orchidées exotiques et leur culture en Europe (1894).
With publisher’s label on front pastedown.
Overall in very good condition. Minimal wear to edges; light sporadic spotting.
