Basilius Besler (1561 – 1629) was an apothecary from Nuremberg who set a new standard for botanical images by depicting plants as exquisitely beautiful. Besler was commissioned by Bishop Johann Konrad von Gemmingen to create engravings of the 1,084 flowers in his immense garden. As a result, the artist spent 16 years designing 367 colored plates. Many of the plants were imported from the America and the Ottoman Empire, and all were portrayed life-size. All future flower books followed the standard set by Besler’s remarkable, detailed plant imagery.
This art print displays sharp, vivid images with a high degree of color accuracy. A member of the versatile family of art prints, this high-quality reproduction represents the best of both worlds: quality and affordability. Art prints are created on paper similar to that of a postcard or greeting card using an offset lithography press.