J. C. Volkamer. The Book of Citrus Fruits. 45th Ed.
Agrumi, limoni e arance amare fluttuano come corpi celesti sopra le ville italiane, i giardini di Norimberga e campagne pittoresche nell'ode di J. C. Volkamer agli agrumi. Riproducendo una serie di lastre di rame colorate a mano, questa pubblicazione mostra 170 varietà di agrumi, facendo rivivere un'epoca in cui gli agrumi erano considerati frutti esotici.

J. C. Volkamer. The Book of Citrus Fruits. 45th Ed.
30Agrumi celestiali
L'ode agli agrumi di J.C. Volkamer del XVIII secolo
Have you ever thought of citrus fruits as celestial bodies, angelically suspended in the sky? Perhaps not, but J. C. Volkamer (1644–1720) did—commissioning an extravagant and breathtaking series of large-sized copperplates representing citrons, lemons, and bitter oranges in surreal scenes of majesty and wonder.
Ordering plants by post mostly from Italy, Germany, North Africa, and even the Cape of Good Hope, the Nuremberg merchant Volkamer was a devotee of the fragrant and exotic citrus at a time when such fruits were still largely unknown north of the Alps. His garden came to contain a wide variety of specimens, and he became so obsessed with the fruits that he commissioned a team of copperplate engravers to create 256 plates of 170 varieties of citrus fruits, many depicted life size, published in a two-volume work. The first volume appeared in 1708, with the impressively lengthy title The Nuremberg Hesperides, or: A detailed description of the noble fruits of the citron, lemon and bitter orange; how these may be correctly planted, cared for and propagated in that and neighboring regions.
In both volumes, Volkamer draws on years of hands-on experience to present a far-reaching account of citrus fruits and how to tend them—from a meticulous walk-through of how to construct temporary orangeries, glasshouses, and hothouses for growing pineapples to commentary on each fruit variety, including its size, shape, color, scent, tree or shrub, leaves, and country of origin.
In each plate, Volkamer pays tribute to the verdant landscapes of Northern Italy, his native Nuremberg, and other sites that captured his imagination. From Genovese sea views to the Schönbrunn Palace, each locale is depicted in the same exceptional detail as the fruit that overhangs it. We witness branches heavy with grapefruits arching across a sun-bathed yard in Bologna and marvel at a huge pineapple plant sprouting from a South American town. The result is at once a fantastical line-up of botanical beauty and a highly poetic tour through the lush gardens and places where these fruits grew.
Few colored sets of Volkamer’s work are still in existence today. This publication draws on the two recently discovered hand-colored volumes in the city of Fürth’s municipal archive in Schloss Burgfarrnbach. The reprint also includes 56 later discovered illustrations that Volkamer intended to present in a third volume.
J. C. Volkamer. The Book of Citrus Fruits. 45th Ed.
Copertina rigida, 15.6 x 21.7 cm, 1.07 kg, 492 pagineISBN 978-3-8365-9478-3
Edizione: Multilingue (Francese, Inglese, Tedesco)Non sono state ancora pubblicate recensioni per questo articolo. Sii il primo a valutare questo prodotto.