Mezzotint and line engraving, finished by hand in watercolor
Johann Wilhelm Weinmann was an influential pharmacist and botanist, and director of the longest established pharmacy in Regensburg. Weinmann supervised the compilation of this valuable 18th century florigium, which contains 1,025 plates of botanicals, aloe, cacti, trees, fruits and vegetables, depicting 4,000 species. Weinmann’s background as an apothecary is evident in the composition and style of the prints, which are both scientific and beautifully decorative as well.
Various artists were employed in the production, including the distinguished German botanical draughtsman Georg Dionysius Ehret (1708-1770), whom was then in his twenties. The Phytanthoza Iconographia is remarkable not only for the beauty and accuracy of its illustrations, but also for the successful use of color printing. Most of the plates have solid areas in colored mezzotint, with watercolor details added.
