Hortus floridus in quo rariorum & minus vulgarium florum icones ad vivam veramque formam accurantissime delineatae [...]. = Jardin de fleurs, contenant en soy les plus rares et plus excellentes fleurs que pour le present les amateurs dicelles tiennent en grande estime et dignite [...].

5 parts in 1 vol., obl. folio: engr. general title, letterpress title in French, 4 engr. garden views, 1 engr. allegorical pl., 1 engr. sectional title and 172 engr. pl. (tear in bl. margin pl. 48 [spring] underl. touching sl. the plateborder, offsetting due to used tape, the same but not touching the plateborder for pl. 18 [summer], offsetting on the flyleaves, 2 pl. with contemp. light colour wash, a few pl. with some marginal repairs not affecting the image).

Later green morocco signed Sangorski & Sutcliffe, gilt fillet on covers, gilt spine with raised bands, gilt inside fillets, a.e.g.

First edition and the rare French text issue of one of the first and finest florilegia. Our copy represents the most complete version of this elaborate work including an unrecorded four-page text treatise on tulips at the opening of the second tulip section. "This work, which some regard as the finest of the early florilegia, was originally issued in 1614. The earliest issues have certain plates without background and/or insects, which were added later" (Johnston). "The majority of the plates are said to be by Chrispijn van de Passe the younger, with some contributions by the Elder, Simon and Willem van de Passe, some plates showing their signatures" (Simoni). The unrecorded French text is titled "Traicte compendieux et abrege des tulipans et de leurs diverses sortes & especes, avec une certaine maniere; comme on les peult semer, planter, & lever, qui est une chose utile & profitable a tous ceux quy sont amateurs de telles excellentes fleurs". The work ends with a list of the most valuable tulips, and the following colophon: "Avec cecy ie vous offres mon oeure vostre treshumble Crispian vande Pas le Ieune". There is an engr. pl., almost full-page, illustrating an instrument for replanting tulips, with a tulip depicted inside it. This text and pl. appear before pl. 43-54, which were added to later issues. There is no pl. 42. As seemingly no 2 copies agree in collation or state of plates we give a detail of the collation of the present copy: 1. [Spring] Engr. general title with Apollo and Diana, the Sun and Moon holding a large banner with circular portraits of Dodoens and Clusius, floral festoons above and bulbous flowers growing from sunken ports in the ground below, signed by Crispijn de Passe, imprint Arnhem, J. Jansonius, 1614; French letterpress title as above with imprint Utrecht, Crispijn de Passe, s.d. followed by 11 ff. of French text, titled on verso of the title "Description des couleurs des quatre saizons de l'an et comme on les pourra depeinde et enluminer en leurs vives et naifues coulleurs" (signed [A-] F2); 2 ff. comprising dedication in Latin, dedicatory verses and index of the Spring plants; engr. garden view; 52 pl. numb 1-41; 2 ff. of French text with engr. pl. numb. 43-54. 2. [Summer] Letterpress sectional title, imprint Utrecht, H. van Borculo the younger and J. Jansonius, 1617, with index of the summer plants on verso, engr. garden view; 20 numb. engr. pl., all but one with Latin text on verso. Pl. 20 has been added later, and has on its margins a note in pencil "The earliest issue of the Hortus floridus did not contain this pl. It has been added to this copy as a matter of interest. The absence of any description on reverse of pl. 19 in copies of the earliest issue is now explainable". This statement is in fact correct. 3. [Autumn] Letterpress sectional title, imprint Utrecht, Chrispijn van de Passe and Jan Jansonius, 2 ff. (dedication and index), engr. pl. of Flora beneath a tree embracing a cornucopia of flowers, cartouche "Epigramma", pl. signed "Crisp. Pass. inv." and "Simon Passeus sculpt. ultr.", engr. garden view; 27 numb. engr. pl. all but the last 2 with Latin text on verso. 4. [Winter] Letterpress title, imprint Utrecht, Crispijn van de Passe, engr. garden view; 12 engr. pl. all but the last with Latin text on verso. V [Altera pars] Letterpress title with "ad lectorem" on verso; engr. title with the "consider the lilies [...]" lines quoted from Matthem "Cognoscite lilia agri quomodo crescant, non laborant [...]" inside a strapwork cartouche with cases of flowers and pendants of fruits, signed "Formulis Crispiani Passaei et Joannis Waldnelii"; 61 engr. pl. with 120 numb. plants, with letterpress descriptions on versos of all but one plate.
Ref. Hunt 199. - Johnston 160. - Nissen (BBI) 1494.