The Bauers. Joseph, Franz & Ferdinand: An illustrated Biography. 2015. 226 col.figs. 528 p. Hardcover.

Filled with stunning 18th and 19th-century illustrations ofplants and other living creatures, this book is the first to bring together the life and art of the Bauer Brothers, who came to be three of the most celebrated botanical artists of all time.As artists, Joseph, Franz and Ferdinand Bauer were independentlyhighly successful: Joseph as court painter to the Prince ofLichtenstein; Franz (later Francis) was employed at Kew Gardens,England, as the Botanick Painter to His Majesty; and Ferdinandsseminal collection of 1500 paintings created from sketches he madetraveling in and around Australia, is the first detailed account of thenatural history of that continent. Drawn from the holdings of theNatural History Museum in London, this illustrated history of theBauers and their work unfolds chronologically, starting with thebrothers formative years in Feldsberg, Austria, where they producedmore than two thousand drawings of plant specimens under theguidance of the local abbot. Learning how to dissect plants as well ashow to use microscopes to paint them in intricate detail, the Bauersbecame well known for their extraordinary precision. Their incrediblydetailed work, along with their beautiful and highly developedmethods of colouring their paintings, comes to life in numeroussuperbly reproduced illustrations. A celebration of an indelible bodyof work, this unique volume recalls the Golden Age of botanicalartistry through the lives and contributions of the renowned Bauerbrothers.