Copper engraving in mezzotint, color from a period print, hand-retouched, 325 x 210 mm. Based on “Phytanthoza Iconographia”, a very important work for its technical innovations in color printing, the first work to which Ehret, the greatest botanical designer of the 18th century, collaborated. The work is based on the botanical collection of Weinmann (1683-1741), apothecary of the oldest pharmacy in Regensburg, who organized and financed the publication of Phytanthoza Iconographia, a celebrated and splendid anthology that also influenced the publication of similar works throughout the world, including in Japan, where it inspired a major change in illustrated botanical literature and led to the production, starting in 1830, of the illustrated herbarium “Honzo Zufu...” by Iwasaki Kanen in ninety-six volumes. Filippo Arena also drew heavily on it for his "La Natura, e coltura de' fiori" (1767-1768). The mezzotint process used here was invented by Johann Teyler in the Netherlands around 1688 and allowed for delicate lines and a very fine grain. The colors were then retouched by hand for a magnificent result. An excellent full-margin example, with beautiful contemporary coloring. Two small, restored tears in the lower margin do not affect the engraving in the slightest. Brunet II, 704 (under Dietrichs); Nissen BBI 2126; Pritzel 10140; Dunthorne 327