Temple of Flora
Robert John Thornton. The Temple of Flora. London: Printed for the publisher [i.e., the author], 1799.
Robert John Thorton’s Temple of Flora is the third part of his New Illustration of the Sexual System of Carolus von Linnaeus. Linnaeus’s taxonomy, or biological classification, forms the basis for scientific taxonomy today; the first two parts of Thornton’s work focus on Linnaeus’s system as it relates to the sex and sexual system of plants. In addition to illustrating the system, the large and dramatic plates for Temple of Flora were intended as a showcase of British artists. Thorton envisioned his work as a celebration of Linnaeus and botany and hoped to capitalize on the interest in collecting the world’s flora during the 18th century.
