‎HIRSCHFELD, CHRISTIAN C. L.‎
‎Theorie der Gartenkunst. Vol. 1-3 (out of 5).‎

‎Leipzig, M.G. Weidmanns Erben und Reich, 1779 - 1780. 4to. Three first volumes (out of five) bound in one contemporary full calf with four raised bands and gilt lettering and ornamentation to spine. All edges coloured in red. Traces from old paper-label to spine. Light miscolouring to boards and parts of the gilt ornamentation worn off. Internally with light occassional foxing, but generally nice and clean. XIV, 230, (2), IV, 200, (2), (2), IV, 251, (5) pp. + 6 engraved plates and numerous engravings in text.‎

Reference : 61487

‎First three volumes of the beautiful and richly illustrated 4to-edition of Hirschfeld's popular gardening manual, first published in octavo in 1775. Considered one of the most important gardening books of the 18th century, it was crucial for the new movement of landscape gardening in the English style. The Kiel philosophy professor Hirschfeld referred to himself as the first theoretician in the field of garden art in Germany. His ideal garden is exclusively devoted to nature, rejecting the rigidity of the French garden and the baroque opulence of the Italian 'Giardini'. Christian Cay Lorenz Hirschfeld (1742-1792), a key figure in the Romantic garden movement, was deeply influenced by his time in Switzerland. His stay in Bern (1765-1767) exposed him to the region’s natural beauty and landscapes. Hirschfeld's ideas, shaped by the picturesque Swiss scenery, contributed to the spread of the English landscape garden style across Europe.(Graesse III, 286 - the original 8vo-edition).‎