For this RBC Art Pick, we’re spotlighting nine hand-coloured engravings of flowers, fungi and lichens from the botanical publication, Flora Danica.

On view in the Lynn Stoll Switzer Pathway on Level 1 at the AGO, visitors can see a delightful collection of small, delicate botanical prints documenting the plants of Denmark and its neighbouring countries. For this RBC Art Pick, we’ve selected this group of hand-coloured prints from the Flora Danica, the world’s largest illustrated botanical text. 

Each print in this gallery represents different points of Flora Danica’s publication history, which spanned 122 years, from 1761 to 1883, and involved 11 editors and numerous painters, engravers, printers and distributors. A practical guide on local plant life in Denmark, the book was financially supported by the Danish Crown.

Putting Flora Danica together was not an easy feat. It was a very ambitious project and involved a complex process from start to finish. During its run, many Danish citizens came together to work on the project. An artist would draw the plants onsite and an engraver would produce a copperplate based on the drawing. The plate was then printed, bound with other prints and sold in two ways – as either a luxury hand-coloured book or a less-expensive black-and-white copy. At that time, hand-colouring a botanical illustration was a time-consuming and expensive process. To lower costs, women and children, who were paid much less than men, were primary colourists. 

In case you missed it, Alexa Greist, Associate Curator and R. Fraser Elliott Chair, Prints & Drawings, explores Flora Danica, its inception, influences and background story in a recent edition of Close Looking – watch HERE.

via AGOinsider