Narcissus Affricanus medius aureus polyanthos; Plate 18

Paris, 1622. Engraving with hand coloring. Image measures 13 x 8 1/4 inches, sheet measures 14 3/4 x 10 inches. Some stains, toning and worm holes but otherwise in good condition.<br/><br/> Narcissus is a genus of spring flowering perennial plants of the amaryllis family, Amaryllidaceae. Rabel depicts four side views of the lovely flower in yellow and white, including one with a bulb. Daniel Rabel (1578 - 1637) was a French Renaissance painter, engraver, botanist and natural history illustrator. Rabel was first employed as a portrait painter by Marie de Medicis, the second wife of Henry IV of France. He served as Engineer in Ordinary for the King for the provinces of Brie and Champagne. The Theatrum Florae was originally published in Paris in 1622, and was a collection of botanical illustrations of 69 of the most striking plants then available, and which Rabel had been commissioned to paint for Gaston of Orleans. Rare.<br/><br/>