Herbarium.
Oblong 8vo. 40 samples mounted on 33 leaves. Some leaves touched in with watercolour borders. Loosely inserted within contemporary cardboard portfolio decorated with a watercolour ensemble of seashells, corals, and algae on the upper board, edges gilt. Silk bow tie sewn to spine.
$1,664.00
An impressive sample collection of red and brown algae, probably collected in the Mediterranean by the Austro-Hungarian navy chaplain and botanical enthusiast Emerich Ujhely (1799-1862). The ensemble is particularly remarkable for the excellent stage of preservation of the specimens, not least with regard to the freshness of their colour. Two magnificent algae collections by Ujhely are known to have survived, one kept at the Academy of Sciences in Budapest, the other owned by the city of Venice. The present pocket-sized herbarium might be considered a preliminary stage or side-piece to these larger corpora.
Some of the samples are captioned by the collector with their scientific names. One sheet with two red algae specimens feature pencil sketches of snail shells, probably as observed on the collection site, rendering the piece a miniature work of art.
Two leaves with red ownership stamp ("Ujhely Imre"). Portfolio slightly waterstained, lacking a small portion of paper covering the upper board. Occasional small marginal flaws to leaves, not affecting the specimens. A well-preserved marine herbarium of great aesthetic value.