The Garden at Eichstätt by Taschen | Botanical Art Book
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The legendary 1613 florilegium, reborn as a numbered three-volume Famous First Edition.
In the early 1600s, Prince-Bishop Johann Konrad von Gemmingen created a magnificent pleasure garden around Willibaldsburg Castle in Eichstätt, Bavaria, and commissioned the Nuremberg apothecary Basilius Besler and a team of engravers to record it. The result, the Hortus Eystettensis of 1613, pictured the garden's plants season by season in 367 hand-colored plates covering 90 families and 340 genera, and it is still considered a milestone in botanical illustration. The garden itself was destroyed in 1634 during the Thirty Years' War, which makes the book its lasting record.
Taschen's facsimile is based on the copy at the University Library of Eichstätt-Ingolstadt and is presented as a Famous First Edition, a first printing of 7,500 numbered copies. Three volumes in a slipcase total 1,096 pages, with plate descriptions covering each plant's botanical, pharmaceutical, and symbolic meaning, plus essays by Klaus Walter Littger and Werner Dressendörfer that place the garden and the book in context. Original copies rarely come to market, so this is the most direct way to live with the work.
Book Details
- Artist: Basilius Besler
- Authors: Klaus Walter Littger and Werner Dressendörfer
- Publisher: Taschen
- Edition: Famous First Edition, first printing of 7,500 numbered copies
- Format: Hardcover, three volumes in slipcase, 1,096 pages
- Size: 9.6 x 12 in.
- Subjects: Botanical illustration, garden history, 17th-century engraving
- Language: English, French, German
- ISBN: 9783836594332
Styling Suggestions
- Display the slipcased set on a library shelf or credenza with the cover art facing out
- Pull one volume at a time onto a coffee table or bookstand, rotating through the seasons as Besler intended
- Give it pride of place in a garden room or conservatory beside potted bulbs and a vintage watering can
The Perfect Gift
An heirloom gift for serious gardeners, botanical art collectors, historians, and bibliophiles. It is fitting for a milestone birthday, an anniversary, a retirement, or any occasion that calls for something truly lasting.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the Hortus Eystettensis?
It is the 1613 record of the prince-bishop's garden at Eichstätt, Bavaria, produced by Basilius Besler, with 367 hand-colored plates arranged by season.
Is Taschen's The Garden at Eichstätt a limited edition?
It is a Famous First Edition, a first printing of 7,500 numbered copies, presented as three hardcover volumes in a slipcase.
Is there a Lafayette shop that sells The Garden at Eichstätt?
You can shop it at Mood by DMJ, 1120 Coolidge St. in Lafayette's Oil Center, or online with shipping across the US.
Shop in store at Mood by DMJ, 1120 Coolidge St. in Lafayette's Oil Center, or online with shipping across the US.
Shipping. Hand-packed in Lafayette and sent via UPS within 2 to 5 business days. Signature required on orders of $250 or more.
Pickup & delivery. Free pickup at our Oil Center boutique, typically ready within 24 hours. Local delivery within 10 miles.
Returns. Accepted within 14 days for store credit. Fine fragrance, DMJ Home Fragrance, holiday, sale, art, books and gift cards are final sale.