original hand coloured lithograph by John Forbes Royle
This hand-coloured botanical lithograph depicts two species of Himalayan pines: Pinus gerardiana and Pinus longifolia. Belonging to the pine family (Pinaceae), these evergreen conifers are adapted to dry, rocky slopes and mountain valleys, where their tall trunks and needle-like leaves form important elements of the forest landscape. They occur across the north-western and central Himalayas, from Afghanistan and Pakistan through Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Nepal, and Bhutan. The artist carefully illustrates their branching form, cone structure, and needle arrangement, features essential for distinguishing between species.
John Forbes Royle (1798-1858) was a prominent British botanist, physician, and pharmacologist during the 19th century. Royle received his medical education at St. Thomas’s Hospital in London and later served as a surgeon in the British East India Company’s army. During his time in India, Royle became deeply interested in the country’s flora and medicinal plants. He collected a vast number of plant specimens and meticulously documented their medicinal properties. One of Royle’s most notable works was the ‘‘Illustrations of the botany and other branches of the natural history of the Himalayan Mountains and of the flora of Cashmere’. This comprehensive work provided detailed descriptions and illustrations of numerous plant species found in the Himalayan region. It remains an important reference for botanical research in the area.
Size (cms): 36.5(H) x 26(W)
Size (inches): 14.5(H) x 10(W)
