Basilius Besler and the Art of the Hortus Eystettensis

Basilius Besler (1561–1629) was a Nuremberg apothecary and botanist who created the Hortus Eystettensis (1613) — one of the most celebrated botanical books ever printed, documenting the legendary garden of the Prince-Bishop of Eichstätt in hundreds of large engraved plates. Four centuries later, Besler plates remain among the most decorated-with botanical images in the world: bold, symmetrical, life-size flower portraits that feel equally at home in a Baroque library and a modern apartment.

Here's the story behind the book, and the best framed Besler prints you can hang today.

The Garden That Became a Book

Prince-Bishop Johann Konrad von Gemmingen built at Eichstätt one of the great gardens of Renaissance Europe — terraces of tulips, peonies, lilies and newly arrived exotics from the Americas and Ottoman Empire. Besler, who supervised the garden, spent roughly sixteen years directing the creation of the Hortus Eystettensis, a florilegium so lavish it was said to require a wheelbarrow to move.

What makes Besler's plates instantly recognizable: plants shown at or near life size, arranged by the season in which they bloomed, drawn with an apothecary's accuracy but composed like portraits — each specimen posed against clean white space. That poster-like clarity is exactly why they frame so well.

The Besler Collection: 64 Framed Plates

Our Basilius Besler collection at FramedArt.com spans hand-tinted florals, dramatic botanical studies and striking black-and-white engravings.

The Iconic Plates

Iris Lilium — Framed from $252.69. Classic Besler: iris and lily specimens in formal Baroque symmetry. The blues and greens sit beautifully against warm neutral walls.

Tinted Besler Botanical I — Framed from $324.09. Part of a four-plate tinted series that recreates the hand-colored character of the luxury copies of the original book.

The Dramatic Exotics

Dramatic Aloe I — Framed from $324.09. The aloes were among the garden's prized New World exotics; their architectural, spiky forms read almost modern — a favorite for offices and minimalist rooms.

B&W Besler Aloe — Framed from $279.99. The uncolored engraving as it left the copperplate — pure line work for black-and-white interiors.

The Garden Florals

Bulb Garden I — Framed from $265.29. Tulips and spring bulbs — the flowers that made the Eichstätt garden famous during the very decades tulip mania was building across Europe. A four-plate series.

Pink Peony I — Framed from $257.59. Besler's peonies are the collection's soft-romantic side — ideal for bedrooms, and available in four plates for a matched grouping.

Vintage Besler I — Framed from $263.89. An aged-paper treatment that leans into the antique-document look — perfect for collected, heritage-style rooms.

Floral I — Framed from $247.79. The classic six-plate Floral series — the easiest starting point for a Besler wall.

Framing Besler: A Framer's Notes

Besler's plates were engineered for grandeur, and the framing should follow. A gold ornate frame with a double mat (ivory over a deep green or burgundy inner) gives the plate the treatment a Prince-Bishop's folio deserves. For modern spaces, a thin black or walnut frame with a generous 3-inch single mat turns the same engraving into graphic art. Because these reproductions are printed with archival inks, non-glare or Museum UV glazing keeps the tinted plates true for decades.

Besler vs. Edwards: Which Botanical Style Is Yours?

If Sydenham Edwards is the naturalist's field notebook — loose, observational, English — Besler is the formal portrait gallery: symmetrical, monumental, Baroque. Edwards suits cottage and country rooms; Besler commands traditional, maximalist and moody-modern spaces. Serious botanical collectors hang both.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the Hortus Eystettensis?

The Hortus Eystettensis (1613) is a monumental illustrated catalog of the Prince-Bishop of Eichstätt's garden, produced under Basilius Besler's direction. It documented over a thousand flowers in large engraved plates and is considered one of the greatest botanical books ever printed.

Are original Besler prints still available?

Original 17th-century plates appear at auction and command significant prices. Our framed versions are museum-quality archival reproductions, printed on heavy art paper and custom framed to order — the same visual impact without the auction-house cost.

What rooms suit Besler botanical prints best?

Dining rooms, libraries, entries and formal living spaces suit the tinted and gold-framed plates; the black-and-white engravings and aloe studies work beautifully in offices and modern rooms.

Why are Besler's plants shown so large?

Besler depicted most specimens at or near life size — a deliberate choice that made the book scientifically useful and gives the plates their bold, poster-like presence on a wall today.

Shop the Collection

Explore all 64 framed plates in the Basilius Besler collection at FramedArt.com — each custom framed by hand in New Jersey with 60+ frames, 25+ mats and museum glazing options. Pair with our botanical art gallery or the Sydenham Edwards collection for a complete antique botanical wall.