South African Botanical Art: Peeling back the petals (Collector’s edition of 100 numbered copies, this is copy no. 1 presented to ‘The Publisher’ by the author)

Pp. (1, limitation), (5), 6-216; color frontispiece of Cyrtanthus flammosus, 131 color plates of fine botanical art.  One half dark green textured morocco leather, spine with five raised bands, lettered in gilt in one compartment and with a gilt leave in another, over gray cloth boards with central gilt flower, endpapers with central embossed leaf design, in gray cloth-covered slipcase bordered in dark green morocco at the head and foot of the slipcase, 4to (300 x 230mm).  The limitations page reads: Collectors' Edition. A special edition limited to 100 copies. This volume is number 1 presented to Fernwood Press (Pty) Ltd signed by the author, Marion Arnold.  She comments: ‘Remarkable images of plants created by the most talented of botanical artists, are housed in store rooms of botanical institutes and museums.  Yet the oil paintings, etchings and watercolors of ‘fine’ artists – depicting the same plants – are located in art galleries.  Why are plant portraits classified differently, and kept apart?  Is plant imagery to do with science, or with art?  Do the two ‘kinds’ of art ever meet?  This unique and ground-breaking book metaphorically ‘peels back the petals’ to explore southern African plant portraiture and discovers the meanings ascribed to the genres of ‘botanical art’ and ‘flower painting’.  Well known for their botanical and art history contributions, authors Marion Arnold, Peter Goldblatt, John Manning, John Rourke and Dee Snijman examine plant portraiture in southern Africa over several centuries.  They provide engrossing and sometimes unique revelations on a broad spectrum of issues, including species ‘discovery’, insect pollination, biological classification, specimen collection, plant naming, portraiture, and the manner and style of artistic representation.  The texts are liberally illustrated by works of some of the countless travelers, botanists an artists who have so passionately and meticulously recorded South Africa’s rich floral heritage.’