Botany.- South America.- Vellozo (José Marino da Conceiçao) Florae Fluminensis Icones, 10 vol. only (of 11, lacking vol.3), first edition, 1,472 lithograph plates, with 'Index methodicus iconum', lacking pp.1-4 of 'Table Alphabétique', vol.10 title and few plates scuffed, some water-staining, some browning and foxing, contemporary half morocco, spines lettered in gilt (with P. Olivier at foot), edges uncut, [Nissen BBI 2046; Stafleu & Cowan 16.000], folio, Paris, 1827.

⁂ One of the rarest iconographies on Brazilian plants. The last auction record we can trace was in 1984, which had all 11 volumes.

The publishing history of the present work is probably the most bizarre one in the history of botany. José Vellozo was born in Minas Geraes in 1742 and lived in Rio de Janeiro. Encouraged by the Viceroy Luiz de Vasconcelos, he devoted 25 years to studying and collecting Brazilian plants. In 1790 he travelled to Lisbon with the intention of submitting for publication his 'Flora', containing descriptions of 1,640 species, accompanied by 1,700 drawings made by Friar Francisco Solano and Antonio Alvares. In 1792 the Portuguese government approved publication and the drawings were sent to Venice to be engraved. 554 plates had been engraved in Venice when the French invaded Portugal. The Portuguese government fled to Brazil and Vellozo returned to his monastery in Rio de Janeiro where he died in 1811, leaving his manuscripts to the Royal Library. There they were rediscovered by Friar Antonio de Arrábida and Emperor Pedro I commissioned the work to be published. The plates were sent to the famous lithographers Senefelder in Paris. Emperor Pedro I commissioned an edition of 3,000 copies, an edition which was very much criticized by F.J. Knecht, the successor of Senefelder and various Parisian scientists, as being excessively high. However the Brazilian government persisted. When printing was nearly ready the Brazilian government cancelled the printing order due to political circumstances which led to the abdication of Emperor Pedro I. The work was however finished by Knecht and sent to Brazil, filling the cellars of a government department. The Brazilian government never paid the full printing costs and only very few copies - some sources indicate as few as 40 copies - were distributed, and the plates were finally sold to a paper factory.

Volume 3 calls for 168 plates, making the total number of plates for this extensive work 1,640.