Ornithologia methodice digesta Pl.053

Saverio Manetti prints bring the birds of eighteenth-century Florence into your home, from songbirds and finches to owls, waterbirds and birds of prey. Manetti was a Florentine physician and botanist who produced Storia naturale degli uccelli, a monumental five-volume bird book with 600 hand-coloured engravings, published from 1767 to 1776. Our collection of fine art prints draws on its plates.

About Saverio Manetti

Francesco Saverio Manetti was born on 12 November 1723 in Brozzi, near Florence. He studied in Florence and at Pisa, where he learned botany under Pier Antonio Micheli, and graduated in medicine in 1745. He practised in Florence and studied anatomy under Antonio Cocchi.

From 1749 to 1782 he directed the botanical garden of Florence, the Orto Botanico, and was secretary of the Accademia dei Georgofili. He was a Fellow of the Royal Society and a member of the Leopoldina and other learned societies, and corresponded with Carl Linnaeus, who named the plant genus Manettia in his honour. He also wrote on wheat, wine and other agricultural subjects.

His greatest achievement was organising the publication of Storia naturale degli uccelli, commissioned by Maria Luisa, Grand Duchess of Tuscany. The engravings were made by the abbot Lorenzo Lorenzi and by Violante Vanni, a rare woman engraver in Florence at the time. Manetti died in Florence in November 1785.

Style and Subjects

The plates of Storia naturale degli uccelli were engraved from watercolour paintings and then coloured by hand. Each bird is shown on its own, usually perched on a branch or standing on the ground, with bold, clear colour and a slightly naive charm typical of the period.

The book was planned as a methodical survey of birds, as its Latin title Ornithologia methodice digesta says, so the plates move through families of birds one by one. Their direct, hand-coloured look suits traditional interiors.

Famous Works

• Storia naturale degli uccelli (Ornithologia methodice digesta) (1767–1776). Five volumes with 600 hand-coloured engravings of birds.
• Ornithologia methodice digesta, Pl.007 (1767–1776). A plate from the opening of the first volume.
• Ornithologia methodice digesta, Pl.125 (1767–1776). A bird plate from the second volume.
• Ornithologia methodice digesta, Pl.298 (1767–1776). A plate from the middle of the work.
• Ornithologia methodice digesta, Pl.447 (1767–1776). One of the later plates.
• Oenologia toscana (1773). His treatise on Tuscan wine.

Decorating with Manetti Prints

Manetti's birds suit classic Italian and country interiors. Hang a set of four or six in gilt or walnut frames in a dining room, hallway or library for an old-world look.

His smaller songbirds work well in a kitchen or bedroom, and a pair of owls or birds of prey makes a strong accent in a study.

FAQ

Who was Saverio Manetti?

Saverio Manetti (1723–1785) was an Italian physician, botanist and ornithologist from Florence, best known for the bird book Storia naturale degli uccelli.

What is Storia naturale degli uccelli?

It is a five-volume natural history of birds illustrated with 600 hand-coloured engravings based on watercolours. Its Latin title is Ornithologia methodice digesta.

Who made the engravings?

The plates were engraved by Lorenzo Lorenzi, a Tuscan abbot, and Violante Vanni, who had studied under the British engraver Robert Strange.

Who commissioned the book?

Maria Luisa, Grand Duchess of Tuscany, commissioned it, and the first volume was dedicated to Grand Duke Pietro Leopoldo.

Is a plant named after Manetti?

Yes. Carl Linnaeus named the plant genus Manettia in his honour.

Related Artists

• Mark Catesby: English naturalist who painted birds in the same century
• John Gould: later publisher of great bird books
• John James Audubon: the most famous bird painter of the next century