Corneille van Geel, Pierre

Pierre Corneille Van Geel (1796-1838)
Sertum Botanicum. Collection des Plantes Remarquables
Brussels: 1828-32
Hand colored lithographs

It is speculated that Van Geel was certainly the editor, and possibly the author of the Sertum, though it is possible that Pierre Auguste Joseph Drapiez may have been responsible for the text. The work was probably issued in 100 livraisons of 6 plates each totaling 600 lithographed plates (though Nissen calls for 594) between the years 1827-1832. Each beautifully illustrated and colored plate includes a life-size or near life-size representation of the flowers and its foliage, paired with some details of the structure of the plant or its seeds and flowers.