The Bauers - Joseph, Franz & Ferdinand

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Filled with stunning 18th- and 19th-century illustrations, this book brings together the life and art of the celebrated Bauer Brothers, renowned botanical artists. Joseph, Franz, and Ferdinand Bauer achieved individual success: Joseph served as court painter to the Prince of Lichtenstein, Franz worked at Kew Gardens as the "Botanick Painter to His Majesty," and Ferdinand created a seminal collection of 1,500 paintings based on his travels in Australia, providing a detailed account of the continent's natural history. Drawing on the Natural History Museum's holdings, the narrative unfolds chronologically, beginning with the brothers' formative years in Feldsberg, Austria, where they produced over two thousand drawings of plant specimens under the guidance of a local abbot. They mastered plant dissection and microscopy, gaining a reputation for their extraordinary precision. Their meticulous detail and exquisite coloring methods are showcased in superbly reproduced illustrations. This volume celebrates the Golden Age of botanical artistry through the lives and contributions of the Bauer brothers, highlighting their indelible impact on the field.