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AEDImportant Georg Dionysius Ehret Virginia Botanical
About Seller
117 Tunnel Road
Asheville, NC 28805
United States
Based in Asheville, North Carolina, Brunk Auctions has been conducting sales of fine and decorative arts for over 30 years. Auctions are held in our North Carolina sale room but attracts a global audience. Founded by Robert Brunk in 1983, the auctions became well known for their integrity and profes...Read more
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About Auction
LiveOct 29, 2026
Dick & Shirley Roberts assembled a world-class collection of American furniture, paintings, maps, early Catesby prints, silver and porcelain, working with top dealers including Israel Sack, Liverant & Son, Deanne Levison, Arader, Shrubsole and others. Major centers of furniture making are represented: Boston, Portsmouth, Newport, Connecticut, Philadelphia and Charleston, with paintings by Jane Peterson, JC Beckwith, Childe Hassam, Willard Metcalf & Edmund Tarbell, among others. Silver by John Ewan, John Carter, Robert Reading, extensive selection of Francis I pattern; and early Chinese export. Brunk Auctions support@brunkauctions.com
View Full Catalog (273)
- Lot Description
(German, 1708-1770)
The Virginia Martagon, a relative of the native Turk's cap lily, signed, inscribed and dated "Martagon Virginianum flore aureo punctato,/petalis florum non reflexis./G.D. Ehret. pinx. 1745."; pencil and watercolor on vellum, 20-7/8 x 14-5/8 in. (534 x 382 mm.); gilt wood frame, 24-1/4 x 17-5/8 x 1-5/8 in.
Provenance: Earls of Coventry at Croome Court, Croome D’abitot, Worcestershire, probably commissioned by William Coventry, the fifth earl of Coventry (1676-1751); W. Graham Arader III, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, purchased in 2001 (accompanied by facsimiles of the receipt and correspondence with the gallery); Estate of Richard and Shirley Roberts, Virginia Beach, Virginia
Note: Depicting the Martagon Virginianum, this watercolor illustrates one of the striking Turk's-cap lilies associated with colonial Virginia. Characterized by their gracefully recurved petals, martagon lilies were admired by both botanists and gardeners, and several species were native to the colony. John Banister recorded two forms of Lilium Martagon in his Catalogue of Virginia Plants, while the English diarist and horticulturalist John Evelyn referred to the "Virginia Martagon," demonstrating the flower's early recognition among seventeenth-century naturalists. Correspondence between Virginia planter John Custis and the London merchant and botanist Peter Collinson further documents the plant's desirability, noting that martagon lilies were being imported into Virginia by 1739 as part of the expanding transatlantic exchange of botanical specimens. These references underscore the flower's significance within the early history of American botany and the scientific networks that connected Virginia's flora to European collectors and gardens.
References: John Banister, Banister's Catalogue of Virginia Plants. Edited by Ivar Tidestrom, Smithsonian Institution, (1907), pp. 208-209; Joseph Ewan and Nesta Ewan, John Banister and His Natural History of Virginia, 1678-1692, University of Illinois Press, (1970); Earl G., Swem, ed. Brothers of the Spade: Correspondence of Peter Collinson, of London, and John Custis, of Williamsburg, Virginia, 1734-1746, Virginia Historical Society, (1952), pp. 63, 66, 86; Graham Arader Gallery, catalog note for Martagon Virginianum watercolor.
- Provenance
Earls of Coventry at Croome Court, Croome D’abitot, Worcestershire, probably commissioned by William Coventry, the fifth earl of Coventry (1676-1751); W. Graham Arader III, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, purchased in 2001 (accompanied by facsimiles of the receipt and correspondence with the gallery); Estate of Richard and Shirley Roberts, Virginia Beach, Virginia
- Shipping Info
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Purchased items will be available for pick up or shipping from our Asheville, North Carolina auction facility within ten business days of the auction, or will be assessed a storage fee of $5.00 per day, per item. Purchaser agrees that packing and shipping is done at the purchaser's risk and that the purchaser will pay in advance all packing expenses, materials, carrier fees and insurance charges. At our discretion, items will either be packed by an agent such as a packaging store or Brunk Auctions. Please allow two weeks for shipping after payment is received. Shipment of large items is the responsibility of the purchaser. We are happy to provide names of carriers and shippers if a purchaser so requests. Brunk Auctions will have no liability for any loss or damage to shipped items.
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- Condition
laid down on card, fresh color, some slightly irregular trim at edge； frame with abrasions, some restoration Note - Brunk Auctions makes every effort to offer accurate and thorough information, but encourages prospective bidders to inspect items in person whenever possible. Condition statements are provided as a courtesy for general guidance and should not be considered complete or definitive. They do not represent a warranty or assumption of liability by Brunk Auctions. Certain condition issues may not be specifically noted in the report but may be visible in the accompanying photographs, which are considered part of the overall condition report. Please refer to our Terms of Sale for complete information and contact us for additional photos or information as needed.
