Knorr's Plant Thesaurus

Knorr's technical skill and love of plants come together beautifully in the two volumes of his Thesaurus, or Regnum florae oder das Reich des Blumen, the German title. The text which accompanies Knorr's spectacular, hand-coloured illustrations was written by two eminent German botanists: Philipp F. Gmelin and Georg R. Böhmer. The descriptions are printed in two columns in parallel Latin and German, the inclusion of Latin making the work accessible to a global audience.

These volumes are from the Fagel Collection, the private library of the Dutch family of that name, several of whose members held high office in the Dutch Republic between the late 17th and late 18th centuries. The last of these, Hendrik Fagel 'the younger', was obliged to flee his home in The Hague and take refuge in London after Napoleonic forces overran Holland in 1794-95. Short of money, he decided to raise funds by selling his library. The collection was purchased for Trinity College Dublin shortly before it went to auction in 1802. The Fagel Collection features many rare and valuable horticultural and botanical works, reflecting the family's interest in gardening over several generations.

Shelfmark: Fag.GG.3.11, 12