March
Date1732
Publisher
Robert Furber
(c. 1674 - 1756)
Designer
Peter Casteels
Engraver
Henry Fletcher
OriginEngland, London
MediumHand-colored etching and line engraving
DimensionsOverall: 20 3/4 × 16 1/2in. (52.7 × 41.9cm)
Other (Plate): 17 1/2 × 14in. (44.5 × 35.6cm)
Credit LineMuseum Purchase
Object number1956-127
DescriptionLower margin reads: "N.o/ SDEW/ Apples./ 1 Long Leaf/ SDE/ 2 Pomme Violette/ SDE/ 3 Hollow Eyd Pippin/ SDE/ 5 Garroway Russett/ SDE/ 6 Winter Marygold/ SDE/ SDEW/ 7 Stafford Pearmain/ SDE/ 8 Kirkham Pippin/ SDE/ 9 Nonpareil/ SDE/ 10 Mashes John/ SDE/ 11 Pomme Roy/ SDE/ 13 Red Russett/ SDE/ SDEW/ 14 Kentish Stone/ Pippin/ SDE/ 15 Pommed Api (Pomme de Api)/ DE/ 16 Kentish Goulding/ SDE/ 17 Winter Fillflow.r/ SDE/ Pears./ 18 Winter Boon/ MARCH/ 1732/ N.o/ SDEW/ 19 Winter Musk/ DES/ 20 Petit Oyin/ DES/ 21 S.t Mark/ DEW/ 22 Rolts WinterGreen/ DES/ A Bergamot Orange/ B. Apple Blossom/ C Spanish Chestnut /S/ SDEW/ D Pistachia Nut/ SD/ E Spanish Nut/ S/ F Filbert/ G Soft Almond/ D/ H The Blossom of/ the soft Almond/ I Dwarf Orange/ SDEW/ K Great Almond/S/ L The Blossom of y.e/ Great Almond/ M Stript dwarf Orange/ N Tree Pommumanoris/ O Walnuts/ S/ P/ Olives/ S/ Design'd by P.tr Casteels/ From the Collection of Rob.t Furber Gardiner at Kensington/ Engrav'd by H. Fletcher."Label TextThis print is March from the series known as Robert Furber's Twelve Months of Fruits which were published in 1732. In 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. 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. Riding high on the success of the botanical prints, he announced the publication of Twelve Months of Fruit, in which he would replicate the model used with the "Twelver Months of Flowers." The Fruit series garnered 561 subscribers, 171 being members of the print trade, indicating just how popular the genre he created had become. Each fruit varietal is listed along the lower margin of the print along with a number and an explanation. These prints were accompanied by a book that included information on growing fruit as well as a catalogue describing the fruit listed in each print. All of these varietals were all available for purchase from his nursery. The catalogue includes a key to the information provided along lower part of the print:
S=Standard; D=Dwarf; E=Espalier (which is described as "Aspect" in the catalogue)= refers to the positioning of the planting in a specified direction.
