December
Date1730
Publisher
Robert Furber
(c. 1674 - 1756)
After work by
Peter Casteels
Engraver
Henry Fletcher
OriginEngland, London
MediumLine engraving and etching on laid paper with hand coloring
DimensionsOverall: 17 1/2 × 13in. (44.5 × 33cm)
Other (Plate): 16 1/2 × 12 1/4in. (41.9 × 31.1cm)
Credit LineMuseum Purchase
Object number1940-395,A
DescriptionEach flower individually labeled.Lower margin reads: "1 Royal purple Auricula./ 2 African white flower'd Heath./ 3 Pansies or Hearts ease./ 5 Strawberry daisie./ 6 Cape Marigold./ 7 Shining leav'd Laurustinus./ 8 Marvel du Monde Auricula./ 9 Red spring Cyclamen./ 10 White Cyclamen./ 11. Yellow Ficotides./ 12 Yellow round Eternal./ 13 Christmas flower./ 14 Winter white Primrose./ 15 Gentianella./ 16 Yellow Corn Marigold./ 17 Scarlet Geranium./ 18 Canary Pellitory.*/ DECEMBER/ 19 Valerianella./ 20 Winter double Crowfoot./ 21 Strip'd leav'd Geranium/ 22 Cape Marigold white within/ 23 S.t Peters Shrub./ 24 Mountain Avens./ 25 Single purple Anemone./ 26 Sage& Rosemary tree./ 27 Winter wall flower./ 28 Winter flowering Pear./ 29 lavender leav'd Groundsel tree./ 30 Scarlet African Aloe, with/ Pineapple leaves./ 31 Spanish Virgins bower./ 32 Glastenbury throne./ 33 Humble plant./ 34 Basella./ 35 Monthly rose bud./ 36 Trifid African golden knob./ Design'd by P.tr Casteels./ From the Collection of Rob.t Furber Gardiner at Kensignton. 1730./ Engrav'd by H. Fletcher."
Label TextIn 1730, a London nurseryman named Robert Furber advertised that he intended to publish a set of twelve prints, one for each month of the year depicting the flowers that were in bloom for that particular month. The prints were based on paintings by the Flemish artist Pieter Casteels III and engraved by Henry Fletcher. Though beautiful, these prints were not purely decorative, but a cleverly devised marketing scheme to promote Furber’s nursery in Kensington. They were the first illustrated seed catalogue published in England and they launched a flurry of imitations. In his advertisements, Furber promised that there would be upwards of 30 different kinds of flowers per print, with each flower labeled with a number and identified at the bottom of the print. And they were all available for purchase from his nursery. Ultimately, the twelve prints represented nearly 400 different flowering species.
ProvenanceFrom the Collection of Robert Furber, Gardiner at Kensington, 1730.
