Linnaeus / Hayne - Termini Botanici - 1799

50 WONDERFUL BOTANICAL PLATES FINELY HAND-COLOURED - FIRST EDITION
Berlin, 1799. First edition of one of the most fascinating works on illustrated botanical terminology from the Linnaean era. Fifty splendid copper-engraved plates, delicately hand-coloured at the time, depict flowers, leaves, roots, fruits, inflorescences and plant structures with extraordinary scientific precision and artistic elegance. A large folio volume, in which the finesse of the drawing, the transparency of the watercolors, and the rich color transform the study of botany into a true visual spectacle.

ABSTRACT
First edition of the first volume of Termini Botanici iconibus illustrati oder Botanische Kunstsprache durch Abbildungen erläutert by Friedrich Gottlob Hayne, published in Berlin by W. Oehmigke the Younger between 1799 and 1806, with a preface by Carl Ludwig Willdenow. The work represents an important contribution to the dissemination of scientific botanical terminology through the visual representation of the morphological characteristics of plants. The present volume comprises 50 large copper-engraved plates finely hand-watercoloured, accompanied by explanatory texts in Latin and German. It also preserves the rare original editorial cover of the first part, with Hayne’s editorial notes printed inside, and pages 89–90 in both the first version and the subsequent corrected edition.

WHY TO BUY
First edition of 1799, the complete first volume with its 50 plates.
Fifty magnificent botanically colored engravings made by hand at the time.
Rare preservation of the original editorial cover of the first part.
Presence of pages 89–90 in both editorial versions.
Large format and extraordinary artistic quality of the illustrations.

MARKET VALUE
Indicative market value: 1,700–2,000 euros. The quality of the watercolors constitutes elements of particular interest.

PHYSICAL DESCRIPTION AND CONDITION
An antique folio volume. Collation: [4] unnumbered leaves, 104 pages numbered, with pages 89–90 present also in the corrected edition. Total: 112 text leaves, in addition to the 2 extra leaves of the corrected variant, for a total of 114 leaves, excluding the 50 out-of-text copper-plates. If counted as single sheets, the 50 plates add 100 physical leaves, for a theoretical total of 214 leaves, not counting the preserved editorial cover. Modern full vellum binding, spine with gilt titles and lines. The plates display delicate coloration with greens, pinks, blues, ochre, and earth tones applied with great sensitivity. The original editorial cover of the first part is preserved, in dark marbled paper with a typographic label. A remarkably charming specimen with good overall preservation.

FULL TITLE AND AUTHOR
Friedrich Gottlob Hayne (1763–1832).
Termini Botanici iconibus illustrati oder Botanische Kunstsprache durch Abbildungen erläutert.
With preface by D. Carl Ludwig Willdenow.
Berlin, at W. Oehmigke d. J., 1799–1806.
Volume I, issued in ten parts, with 50 copper-engraved plates hand-coloured.

THE STORY
At the end of the eighteenth century, European botany was undergoing a period of extraordinary development. Linnaeus’s hierarchical system had given scholars a common language, but understanding morphological terminology required tools capable of translating abstract definitions into immediately recognizable images. Friedrich Gottlob Hayne conceived this work to answer that need, pairing scientific description with a vast series of plates devoted to plant forms and structures. Roots, stems, leaves, flowers, fruits, and reproductive organs are analyzed through carefully selected examples. The depiction is not merely ornamental: each illustrated element becomes part of a teaching system designed to make the complex terminology of botanical science accessible. The presence of Latin and German texts reflects the shift from international scientific tradition to dissemination of knowledge in modern languages.

THE AUTHOR
Friedrich Gottlob Hayne (1763–1832) was an important German botanist, pharmacist, and scientific illustrator, particularly valued for his works on medicinal plants and plant morphology. Active in the Berlin scientific community, he contributed to the development of applied botany and the dissemination of natural history knowledge through accurately illustrated publications. His oeuvre includes works on pharmaceutical botany and important iconographic compilations. Carl Ludwig Willdenow (1765–1812), author of the preface, was one of the foremost German botanists of his time, director of the Berlin Botanic Garden, and a central figure in the development of plant geography. The intellectual collaboration between these scholars places the work at the heart of the Berlin botanical tradition between the Enlightenment and the early nineteenth century.

THE PRINTING
The work was published in Berlin by W. Oehmigke the Younger, starting in 1799, in successive fascicles. The first volume was issued in ten parts and comprises 50 copper-engraved plates hand-coloured. The production of the images required a complex collaboration between designer, engraver, printer, and colourist. The precision of the copper-engraved outlines allowed the representation of the most minute plant structures, while the watercolouring gave the illustrations a richness of color impossible to achieve with engraving alone. Especially striking are the plates devoted to palms, flowers, leaves, and root systems, where the colouring enhances morphological differences through extremely delicate shading. The plates retain the character of late eighteenth-century natural history masterpieces, where scientific accuracy goes hand in hand with a high-quality artistic composition.

THE BEAUTY OF THE HAND-COLOURED PLATES
The true splendor of this volume lies in the fifty botanically delicate plates finely watercoloured by hand. The illustrations show a remarkable variety of subjects: slender filamentous roots, large palmate leaves, delicate inflorescences, small flowers with rosy coronas, flowering branches, and complex plant structures. The colour is applied with utmost lightness, allowing the engraved drawing to emerge and giving the plants a natural, bright, and refined appearance. The greens unfold in many shades, from sage to deeper greens; petals display pink, blue, and purplish tints; roots and stems are modeled with subtle touches of ochre and brown. The compositions, often arranged with multiple specimens on the same plate, possess an almost painterly balance. Each engraving can be appreciated as a small autonomous work of art, while retaining its scientific function. It is precisely this perfect fusion of naturalistic observation and artistic sensibility that makes the work particularly desirable to collectors of illustrated botanical books.

RARITY
First edition of the first volume, originally published in ten parts. The bibliographic interest of the specimen is enhanced by the preservation of the original editorial cover of the first part, with Hayne’s explanations printed on the counterplates, testimony to the distribution method of the work. Also significant is the presence of pages 89–90 in both versions, original and corrected, documenting a modification introduced during publication. The completeness of the 50 plates and the quality of the colouring are essential elements for collector valuation. This is the first volume of a work published in multiple parts, not the entire series.

BIBLIOGRAPHY
Nissen, Botanische Buchillustration, 817; Pritzel, Thesaurus Literaturae Botanicae, 3862; Stafleu & Cowan, Taxonomic Literature, 2507.

WHY WE CHOSE THIS BOOK
We chose this work especially for the exceptional beauty of its fifty botanically hand-watercoloured plates made over two centuries ago. The precision of the engravings, the delicacy of the colours, and the variety of plant forms make it a particularly striking example of European natural illustration. In addition to the beauty of the images, the work’s scientific importance, the presence of the rare editorial cover, and the preservation of textual variants add to its value. A book in which botany becomes art, capable of fascinating both the natural history scholar and the collector of large illustrated works.

Ancient books may show imperfections, stains, foxing, browning, irregularities of paper and printing, small binding flaws, restorations, and signs of use compatible with age, conservation, and traditional production methods, even if not explicitly noted. This listing includes AI Visualizations, created for illustrative and environmental purposes, which may differ from the actual object. To verify characteristics, details, and actual condition of the specimen, refer to the original photographs. All images are an integral part of the description.