The Temple of Flora, or Garden of Nature: A Group of Auriculas

Curatorial Overview

“The greatest English botanical publication of the early 19th century was Dr. Robert John Thornton’s <em>Temple of Flora. </em>Although Thornton studied medicine, his passion was botany and he soon embarked upon a major publishing venture that brought him both fame and financial ruin. The work, <em>New Illustrations of the Sexual System of Linnaeus,</em> was the most sumptuous botanical publication ever produced. The third section, the famous <em>Temple of Flora,</em> has 28 flower portraits set not against a plain conventional background but in the full richness of their natural setting. Unfortunately the day of the great <em>florilegia</em> had passed and Thornton died in poverty in 1837.”