The Temple of Flora, or Garden of Nature: The Pontic Rhododendron (1799–1807): Art, History and Details

The Temple of Flora, or Garden of Nature: The Pontic Rhododendron (1799–1807) is in the Cleveland Museum of Art collection. The museum's creator attribution is Robert John Thornton (British, 1768–1837).

The work and its context

The museum's open-access catalogue describes the work:

In the 18th century, new engraving and etching techniques offered a variety of tonal effects that enhanced botanical prints. While mezzotint (in which the plate is roughened and then the engraver works from dark to light creating different values) and stipple (dots create values) make it possible to create the rich tonal scale and velvety texture of oil paint, aquatint imitates the delicacy and transparency of watercolor and ink wash.

Object facts

• Title: The Temple of Flora, or Garden of Nature: The Pontic Rhododendron
• Date: 1799–1807
• Creator attribution: Robert John Thornton (British, 1768–1837)
• Culture: England, late 18th-early 19th Century
• Type: Print
• Technique: aquatint, stipple and line engraving
• Collection: PR - Aquatint
• Department: Prints
• Accession number: 1951.276

Collection credit

Gift of The Print Club of Cleveland

View the collection record

See the museum's photographs and full catalogue entry. Catalogue text is reproduced from the Cleveland Museum of Art's open-access data, with HTML formatting removed. This object and its supplied image are designated CC0.