Bruxelles, Veuve P. J. De Mat, 1828-1835. Eight volumes in four. 4to (27.1 x 20.2 cm). Eight half-titles and titles; 44 pp. (introduction); 600 finely engraved plates in beautiful original hand-colouring, and with explanatory text leaves, and indexes to Parts 1-3, 1-5, 1-6, 1-7, and 1-8. Contemporary uniform mottled half calf over marbled boards. Spines with four raised, flat-topped embossed bands; compartments with gilt floral bands, and green morocco label with gilt title. Front boards with gilt armorial vignette. Patterned endpapers.

A beautifully illustrated work with detailed descriptions originally written by the French botanist Jean Louis Auguste Loiseleur-Deslongchamps (1774-1849). The introduction was written by the versatile Belgian botanist, ornithologist, entomologist and herpetologist, Pierre August Joseph Drapiez (1778-1856). The fine plates are after Pancrace Bessa (1772-1846), a renowned French natural history artist, best known for his botanical illustrations. Bessa was a student of the great engraver Gerard van Spaendonck and worked alongside Pierre-Joseph Redouté, some of whose influence shows in Bessa's detailed and delicate treatment of his subjects. Bessa was a regular exhibitor at the Paris Salons between 1806 and 1831. His favourite subjects were fruit and flowers. One plate is after Redouté and one after Poiteau. This is the first edition with this title; this work is an expanded and updated version of the Herbier Géneral de l’Amateur (1814-1827), with 26 additional plates. In the rear of the last part are a Table méthodique des plantes ... rangées d'après leur ordre natureland a Table générale et par ordre alphabétique. The latter supersedes all previous indexes. Provenance: on all front boards a small gilt vignette "de J. v. E." with an arm holding a bell, above a crown, i.e., the armorial crest of the Dutch major and member of parliament Willem Cornelis Mary de Jonge van Ellemeet (1811-1888). Willem Ellemeet owned a large estate, "Overduijn" where he cultivated a large collection of plants, in particular orchids, cacti and agaves. One species was named after him, Agave ellemeetiana. He built a large botanical library, which was known throughout Europe. In 1873, Ellemeet's plant collection was sold at auction. The catalogue contained 323 plant species. Perhaps he then sold his botanical library too. Further provenance: on all front pastedowns an armorial bookplate of Henry Rogers Broughton, 2nd Baron Fairhaven. His library was one of the grandest natural history libraries in the United Kingdom. All edges uncut, thus with the largest possible margins. Occasional, mostly marginal, spotting, and offsetting, some light toning. Pages 556-560 bound after 665; plate 594 wrongly numbered 494, and 595 wrongly numbered 195; plate "518bis", mentioned in the index, actually refers to a species figured on plate 519 - the only plate with two different species. Text rather spotted, plates, however, nearly all very clean. The colouring of the plates is exceptionally realistic, bright and vivid. It is exceedingly rare to find a truly complete copy, like this one, most copies recorded only have 599 plates or fewer. The last complete copy in auction dates back over 42 years (the Plesch copy). Nissen BBI, 2324 (under Herbier); Pritzel, 91 (under Drapiez); Stafleu and Cowan, 4958 (under Deslongchamps).