Lot 123: Wendy Walsh (b.1915) AN IRISH FLORILEGIUM - WILD

Wendy Walsh (b.1915) AN IRISH FLORILEGIUM - WILD AND GARDEN PLANTS OF IRELAND Provenance: A gift from Lord Palumbo to the previous owner; Private collection First edition hardback, Thames & Hudson Ltd., London, 1983. 224pp with large format collection of forty-eight illustrations, all hand-tipped colour plates of exquisite drawings by renowned botanical artist Wendy Walsh. With original dust jacket and tans coloured boards, gilt titled spine and press mark on front cover. Working directly with her subject, Walsh has painted an assortment of both the cultivated and native of Ireland, selected for their intriguing histories as well as their inherent beauty and botanical interest. She has exhibited widely and received many accolades including gold medals from the Royal Horticultural Society of London and an honorary doctorate from the University of Dublin, 1997. Although born in Cumbria, Walsh has lived and worked in Ireland for over fifty years. Ruth Isabel Ross, well known horticulture author, describes he history of plant collecting and horticulture in Ireland to date and with notes on the Plates by author of the reference text, A Heritage of Beauty, Dr Charles Nelson of the National Botanic Gardens, Dublin. Peter Garth Palumbo, Baron Palumbo (b.1935) is a property developer, architecture connoisseur and renowned art collector, commissioning works from such legendary sculptors as, Richard Serra and Henry Moore. He has been involved in numerous artistic spheres and held positions including; trustee of the Tate Gallery from 1978 until 1985, as well as the Whitechapel Art Gallery and the Natural History Museum. He was also Chairman of the Arts Council of Great Britain from 1988 until 1993.