Who was Robert John Thornton?
Thornton began travelling through Europe
New Illustration of the Sexual System of Carolus von Linnaeus
It was also in 1797 that Thornton began his great work New illustration of the sexual system of Carolus von Linnaeus. Created as result of the 18th century fascination for exploration and discovery, it was intended to showcase the talents of British artists while celebrating the Linnean system of classification, developed by Swedish botanist Carl Linnaeus.
The Temple of Flora
In New illustration of the sexual system of Carolus von Linnaeus, Thornton created a collection of evocative illustrations, reflecting Linnaeus’s system of classification. The Temple of Flora is the third part of the New Illustration.
Exhibition in gallery in London
For New illustration of the sexual system of Carolus von Linnaeus, Thornton originally planned to issue 70 folio size color plates. In 1803, he opened a gallery in London where he exhibited his paintings and sold catalogs to gain publicity which he hoped would lead to subscriptions for his work.