May
Date1732
Publisher
Robert Furber
(c. 1674 - 1756)
After work by
Peter Casteels
Engraver
Henry Fletcher
OriginEngland, London
MediumHand-colored etching and engraving
DimensionsOverall: 20 3/4 × 16 1/2in. (52.7 × 41.9cm)
Other: 16 7/8 × 13 5/8in. (42.9 × 34.6cm)
Credit LineMuseum Purchase
Object number1956-129
DescriptionLower margin reads: "SDEW" Apples/ 1 Kentish White Pipp.n/ SDE/ 2 Jews Pippin/ SDE/ 3 Pear Russett/ SDE/ 4 Warners Beiffin/ SDE/ 5 Kentish Pippin/SDE/ 6 French Russetting/ SDE/ SDEW/ 7 Warners Long/ keeping Pippin/ SDE/ 8 Nonpareil/ SDE/ 9 Kentish Gold/n Pipp.n/ SDE/ 10 French gr.n Reinette/ SDE/ 11 Norfolk Beiffin/ SDE/ Black Cap/ SDE/ SDEW/ Cherries/ 13 Small May/ S/ 14 Early Duke/ S/ Currants/ 15 Early Red/ S/ 16 Early White/ S/ Pears/ MAY/ 1732 (in manscript ink)/ SDEW/ 17 May Bergamot/ S/ 18 Winter Boon from a (Dwarf)/ D/ 19 Winter Champaign/ S/ 20 L.d Cheneys Green/ S/ 21 Old Amozell/ S/ Strawberries/ 22 Wood/ SDEW/ 23 Scarlett/ 24 Haut boy/ A Pomagranate/ S/ B Coffee Branc/ C Canada barberrie/ D Blue Berried/ Honysuckle/ SDEW/ E Melon thistle/ F Poplemus Oran.ge/ G Shaddock Citron/ H Apple Blossom/ K Citron Lemon/ L Sage Leaf Love App.le./ Design'd by P.tr Casteels./ From the Collection of Rob.t Furber Gardiner at Kensington 1732./ Engrav'd by H. Fletcher."Label TextThis print is May 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.
