September
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 1/4 × 12 1/4in. (41.3 × 31.1cm)
Credit LineMuseum Purchase
Object number1940-392,A
DescriptionEach flower is numbered individually.Lower margin reads: "2 Red Sow Bread./ 2 White Sow Bread./ 3 White Corn-marigold./ 4 New Tree Primrose./ 56. Sour leav'd Geranium./ 6 Quill'd African Marigold./ 7 Hearts ease./ 8 Shrub Cotton./ 9 Sheffords Hester auricula./ 20 Virginian Birthwort./ 11 Virginian upright Bramble./ 12 Scarlet Indian Cane./ 13 White Colchicum./ 14 Bean Caper./ 15 All red Aranthus./ 16 Double white Soapwort./ 17 Yellow Indian Cane./ 18 Virginian Poke./ SEPTEMBER/ 19 Gentiancella./ 20 White monthly Rose./ 21 Yellow Amaranthus./ 22 Oriental Arssmart./ 23 Broad leav'd Cardinal./ 24 Yellow Colchicum,/ 25 Hardy golden Rod./ 26 White Althaea frutex./ 27 Chequer'd Colchicum./ 28 Yellow Colutea./ 29 Dwarf Pomgranate./ 30 Strip'd single Female Balsom./ 31. African marigold./ 32 Honour & Glory Auricula./ 33 White flower Moth Mullein./ 34 Double Colchicum./ 35 Three leav'd Passion flower./ Design'd by Pet.r Casteels/ From the Collection of Rob.t Furber Gardiner at Kensington. 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.
