Philip (1691) Miller Paintings & Artwork for Sale | Philip (1691) Miller Art Value Price Guide

Apr. 05, 2025
Philip Miller's Figures of the most Beautiful, Useful, and Uncommon Plants described in The Gardeners' Dictionary - First Edition
Est: $20,000 - $30,000
MILLER, Philip(1691-1771). Figures of the most Beautiful, Useful, and Uncommon Plants described in The Gardeners' Dictionary. To which are added, Their Descriptions, and an Account of the Classes to which they belong. London: printed for the Author, and sold by John Rivington, A. Millar, et al., [1755-] 1760. First Edition. Comparable: Christie's, 2003 - $17,925. 2 volumes. Folio (17 2/8 x 11 inches). Engraved vignette on dedication leaf, 300 fine hand-colored engraved plates (including two folding with small closed tears near the gutter), many printed in green or sepia, Thomas Jefferys, and J. Mynde, after Georg Ehret (16), Johann S. Müller, Richard Lancake, J. Bartram, and W. Houston, woodcut headpiece and initial (some minor offsetting). Contemporary half-calf, marbled paper boards (extremities scuffed with some surface-wear). Provenance: Near contemporary ownership inscription of Ben Palmer on each title-page. " the most distinguished and influential British gardener of the eighteenth century" (DNB). First edition, and an attractive and unsophisticated copy, originally published in 50 parts of 6 plates each. Although Miller's plan had originally been to "exhibit the Figures of One or more Species of all the known Genera of Plants", he had ultimately been obliged by the expenses of production to "contract his Plan, and confine it to those Plants only, which are either curious in themselves, or may be useful in Trades, Medicine, &c., including the Figures of such new Plants as have not been noticed by any former Botanists" (Preface). Preceded by his celebrated "The Gardeners Dictionary" (which ran to eight editions (1732-1768) during Miller's lifetime his works were commended at the time for being ".drawn from nature in the best state of flowering, and for including illustrations of fruit and seed as they ripened" (DNB). In 1722 Miller was appointed by Hans Sloane and the Society of Apothecaries as gardener for their Physic Garden at Chelsea. A condition of Sloane's deed of conveyance of the garden to the apothecaries was that they present annually to the Royal Society fifty dried specimens grown in the garden in the previous year. This necessitated the continuous introduction of new plants, achieved only by Miller's wide correspondence: "from various parts of the world. Exchange with John Bartram of Philadelphia, a collector of plants in Pennsylvania, Virginia, Delaware, and elsewhere, was particularly fruitful. Kalm [a student of Linneaus at Uppsala] observed that 'the principal people in the land set a particular value on this man' (Kalm, 111). The fourth duke of Bedford [to whom this volume is dedicated] employed him on a regular basis to visit Woburn and inspect gardens and hothouses and to prune the trees. These included many American conifers, and Miller approved introductions of alternative timber owing to the great quantity of oak needed by the Royal Navy. He also catalogued numerous American plants grown by the young Lord Petre at Thorndon, Essex. His advice was sought by the dukes of Richmond at Goodwood, where his suggestions for a flower border remain. The Society of Arts consulted Miller on agricultural matters, from winter feed for domestic animals in England to grapes suitable for the climate of South Carolina. On the latter Miller often consulted growers in both France and Italy, and he was a member of the Botanic Academy of Florence; from both countries he received seeds" (DNB). Like his father before him Ehret trained as a gardener, initially working on estates of German nobility, and painting flowers only occasionally, another skill taught him by his father, who was a good draughtsman. Ehret's "first major sale of flower paintings came through Dr Christoph Joseph Trew, eminent physician and botanist of Nuremberg, who recognized his exceptional talent and became both patron and lifelong friend. Ehret sent him large batches of watercolours on the fine-quality paper Trew provided. In 1733 Trew taught Ehret the botanical importance of floral sexual organs and advised that he should show them in detail in his paintings. Many Ehret watercolours were engraved in Trew's works, such as Hortus Nitidissimus (1750 86) and Plantae selecta e (1750 73), in part two of which (1751) Trew named the genus Ehretia after him.
Arader Galleries
Oct. 20, 2024
TWO BOTANICAL PRINTS, "Aloe," AND "Hummingbird," ENGLISH AND GERMAN, 18TH CENTURY
Est: $100 - $200
TWO BOTANICAL PRINTS, "Aloe," AND "Hummingbird," ENGLISH AND GERMAN, 18TH CENTURY, comprising, "Aloe," by Philip Miller FRS (English 1691-1771), hand-colored engraving on cream laid paper, plate CCLXXVIII, 13" x 8 1/2", framed 18 1/2" x 15 3/4"; and "Das Colibritchen Summvogelein," by Johann Michael Seligmann (German 1720-1762), No. 30, XXX, hand-colored engraving on cream wove paper, 12" x 8 7/8", framed 16 1/2" x 13 3/4".
Simpson Galleries, LLC
Feb. 08, 2024
Miller, Philip, 1691-1771 Scottish Botanist, Curator of the Chelsea Physic Garden 'Figures of the Most Beautiful, Useful and Uncommon Plants described in the Gardeners Dictionary.....' London, printed for the author and sold by John Rivington. St...
Est: £6,000 - £8,000
Miller, Philip, 1691-1771 Scottish Botanist, Curator of the Chelsea Physic Garden 'Figures of the Most Beautiful, Useful and Uncommon Plants described in the Gardeners Dictionary.....' London, printed for the author and sold by John Rivington. St Paul's Churchyard et al. First edition, 1760. Two vols Fo. (425 x 265mm) 300 fine hand coloured engravings (2 folding) after John Miller, J Jeffreys, Richard Lancake, G.D. Ehret and others. Engraved vignette with dedication to His Excellency John Duke of Bedford. Full, probably original calf with gilt banded spine, b/p for G.H. Macnamara, pencil notes on end papers, title page with repaired edges, binding marked and bumped, plates generally fair condition for age (2) Provenance: From a private collection
Mallams
Apr. 29, 2023
DICTIONNAIRE DES JARDINIERS [...] OUVRAGE TRADUIT DE L'ANGLOIS, SUR LA HUITIEME ÉDITION. [- SUPPLÉMENT AU DICTIONNAIRE].
Est: €250 - €350
10 vol., 4to; 35 (of 37) pl. (text n.c., portrait vol. 8 and 1 pl. in vol. 6 missing, some spotting throughout). - Translation by L. de Chazelles (1724-1808) of "The Gardener's Dictionary" (1st Engl. ed.: 1731) by Philip Miller (1691-1771), botanist and chief gardener at the Chelsea Physic Garden. Treaty on vegetable gardens, orchards, horticulture, agriculture techniques, means of preserving wine, timber, etc. Ill.: front. and 24 (of 25) engr. depicting plants, leaves and diverse installations. Vol. 8 contains an index of trees and plants and their terms in French and Latin, an index in Latin & English and a calendar of gardeners. A supplement in 2 vol. was published in 1790, ill. with a front. depicting the view of the castle of Lorry with its sunrooms, orangery and parterre and 9 engr. portraying mainly flowers. - Ref. Wellcome IV:137. - Brunet III:1717. - BnF. - Opac KBR. - Prov. Hipp. Wouwermans (mod. bookpl.). - Thierry Comte de Renesse (id.).
Arenberg Auctions
Apr. 29, 2023
DICTIONNAIRE DES JARDINIERS [...] OUVRAGE TRADUIT DE L'ANGLOIS, SUR LA HUITIEME ÉDITION.
Est: €200 - €300
8 vol., 4to: [6]-xlviii-586-[2], [4]-760, [4]-638, [4]-ii-644 [= 650], [4]-642, [4]-592 [= 600], [4]-608, portrait-[4]-279-[1 bl.]-43-[1 bl.]-52-43-[1 bl.]-55-[1 bl.]-221-[2] pp.; 25 pl. (front. vol. 1 missing, some spotting in most vol.). - Translation by L. de Chazelles (1724-1808) of "The Gardener's Dictionary" (1st Engl. ed.: 1731) by Philip Miller (1691-1771), botanist and chief gardener at the Chelsea Physic Garden. Treaty on vegetable gardens, orchards, horticulture, agriculture techniques, means of preserving wine, timber, etc. Ill.: with a portrait of Miller, engr. by C.F. Maillet and 25 engr. depicting plants, leaves and diverse installations. Vol. 8 contains an index of trees and plants and their terms in French and Latin, an index in Latin & English and a calendar of gardeners. A supplement in 2 vol. was published in 1790, here not present. - Ref. Wellcome IV:137. - Brunet III:1717. - BnF.
Arenberg Auctions
Oct. 28, 2021
Gardens.- Amherst (Hon. Alicia) A History of Gardening in England, 1896 & others on garden history and design (9)
Est: £150 - £200
Gardens.- Amherst (Hon. Alicia) A History of Gardening in England, second edition, 1896 § Jekyll (Gertrude) Children and Gardens, 1908 § Maxwell (Sir Herbert) Scottish Gardens..., 1908 § Blunt (Wilfrid) In for a Penny: A Prospect of Kew Gardens..., 1978 § Le Rougetel (Hazel) The Chelsea Gardener: Philip Miller 1691-1771, 1990 § Thompson (Ian) The Sun King's Garden, 2006, plates and illustrations, some colour, original cloth or boards, the first pictorial gilt, the first three rubbed, the last three with dust-jackets, the last nicked at lower outer corner; and 3 others on garden history and design, 8vo & 4to (9) ⁂ The first is the first scholarly account of the history of gardening and contains an extensive bibliography.
Forum Auctions - UK
Sep. 25, 2021
Philip Miller, Six Hand Colored Botanical Prints
Est: $200 - $400
Philip Miller (British 1691-1771) "Gardeners Dictionary," Six Hand Colored Botanical Prints, comprising; Plates CXCVII, Padus;Â CLXXI, Lycium; CCVII, Phytolacca; CXCII, Ornithogalum; CCXII, Pulmonaria; and CLXVII, Lonicera. Matted and framed. Dimensions: 13 x 8.5 in, plate size, 21.5 x 16 in. as framed. Condition: Light toned with some scattered foxing.Â Lonicera Plate with enhancement to plate number in upper right.Â Philip Miller was chief gardener at the Chelsea Physic Garden from 1722 until his death, anÂ esteemed Scottish horticulturalist and botanist,Â Philip Miller's expertise was made widely available in his renownedÂ Gardeners Dictionary, published in editions from 1731 to 1768, while his students went on to establish the botanic gardens of Kew and Cambridge. TheÂ DictionaryÂ not only covered methods of cultivation, but provided a systematic botanical compendium of all wild-growing and cultivated plants in Britain then known. This latter aspect makes the volume valuable to botanists today.
Neue Auctions
Jan. 25, 2018
Philip Miller. 11 Botanical Plates. c.1760.
Est: $200 - $300
Miller, Philip. British (1691-1771). Eleven botanical plates. From 'Figures of the most Beautiful, Useful, and Uncommon Plants.' London: 1760. Sheet, each approx. 10" x 16" ++ Plate xiii.: Justicia Hyssopifolio. ++ Plate vii: Acanthus mollis. ++ Plate ccl: Fig. 1. Delphinium Grandiflorum. Fig. 2. Delphinium Exaltatum. ++ Plate ccxciii: Carduus eeriophorus. ++ Plate clxix: Ricotia Agyptiaca. ++ Plate xcvii: Chironia frutescens. ++ Plate xlii: Antirrhinum majus. ++ Plate lxxxi: Dianthus. ++ Plate clxxxix: Oenothra. ++ Plate xl: Antholyza. ++ Plate cxlviii: Hyacinthus, Orientalis. ++ Plate ccxcii: Aloe Maculata Pulchra. Provenance: From the collection of Jim Willis. Condition: Very good condition. Scattered toning and foxing.
Quinn's Auction Galleries
Aug. 05, 2017
PHILIP MILLER (1691-1771): ARCTOTIS RAMIS DECUMBENTIBUS, FROM FIGURES OF THE MOST BEAUTIFUL PLANTS DESCRIBED IN THE GARDENERS DICTIO...
Est: $200 - $400
PHILIP MILLER (1691-1771): ARCTOTIS RAMIS DECUMBENTIBUS , FROM FIGURES OF THE MOST BEAUTIFUL PLANTS DESCRIBED IN THE GARDENERS DICTIONARY Engraving with hand-coloring on laid paper; together with Continental School: Aloe Africanaspinis rubris ornata; Snail Shells; Shells; and Citrus Aurantium - Orange Tree, four engravings with hand-coloring on laid or wove paper; together with four photomechanical reproductions on paper. Arctotis 12 7/8 x 7 7/8 in. (plate), 15 3/4 x 9 7/8 in. (sheet); Aloe 12 3/4 x 8 1/4 in. (plate), 16 x 10 in. (sheet); Snail Shells 6 3/4 x 9 in. and 7 1/4 x 10 in. (images); Orange 8 3/8 x 5 in. (sheet); Bird 11 1/2 x 9 in. (sheet); and three Mushrooms approx. 9 x 5 3/4 in. (sheet). Property from the Estate of Seward Kennedy
STAIR
May. 15, 2016
MILLER & LANCAKE
Est: $100 - $200
MILLER & LANCAKE 'Balsamina Faemina,' 1755 for botanist Philip Miller (1691-1771) Hand Coloured Engraving 31x19cm
Davidson Auctions
Feb. 21, 2016
MILLER & LANCAKE 'Balsamina Faemina,' 1755 for botanist Philip Miller (1691-1771)
Est: $100 - $200
MILLER & LANCAKE 'Balsamina Faemina,' 1755 for botanist Philip Miller (1691-1771)
Davidson Auctions
Sep. 19, 2015
Kalmia, Pl. CCXXVIII
Est: $300 - $400
Philip Miller (1691-1771). Hand-colored engraving. London: I. Miller, 1758. 13 1/4 x 8 1/2 inches, 23 1/4 x 18 1/2 inches framed.
Arader Galleries
Sep. 05, 2012
[Lot of 3 - Flowers] Prints - Botanicals Philip
Est: - $400
[Lot of 3 - Flowers] Prints - Botanicals Philip Miller 1755 A (Size: 7.9 x 12.7 inches) Three superb engravings from this scarce and important English botanical book. Scottish botanist Philip Miller (1691-1771) was curator at the Chelsea Physic Garden - the nucleus of the Royal Botanic Gardens. Miller employed the best botanical artists and engravers of the day to provide these illustrations as an accompaniment to the Gardener's Dictionary. By the time Miller died, he had ...
Old World Auctions