December

Date1732

Publisher Robert Furber (c. 1674 - 1756)

After work by 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 1/8 × 13 5/8in. (43.5 × 34.6cm)

Credit LineMuseum Purchase

Object number1956-136

DescriptionLower margin reads: "S.D.E.W./ Apples/ 1 Water Chestnut/SDE/ 2 Golden Reinette/SDE/ 3 Essex Russeting/SDE/ 4 Pip Apple/SDE/ 5 Tanners Apple/SDE/ S.D.E.W/ 6 Cardinal Apple/SDE/ 7 Brackley Russett/SDE/ 8 Leather Coat/SDE/ 9 Cheradam/ SDE/ 10 Holland Pippin/SDE/ 11 Golden Munday/SDE/S.D.E.W./ 12 Aromatick Russett/SDE?/ Grapes./ 13 White Raisin/S/ 14 Red Raisin/S/ Pears./ 15 Royal De Hyver/S/ DECEMBER/ 1732/ 16 Amadott/DEE/ 17 Martin Sec/DEE/ 18 Virgoluce/DEW/ 19 Pear Royal/DEE/20 S.t Augustine/DEW/ 21 S.t Mathias/DEE/ S.D.E.W/ 22 Bezi De, la Mot/SDE/ 23 Green Ambrett/DE/ 24 Petittine/DE/ 25 Stript Vert-long/DE? 26 Colmar/DES/ A Winter Crack/S/ S.D.E.W/ B Arbutus/S/ C Orange berried/Holly/ S/ D The Azarole/with red Fruit/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 October 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.