The Night-Blowing Cereus limited edition, front view, in its marbled mount and antique gold frame
Angled view The numbered corner The framed Cereus edition on the wall above a walnut sideboard Side view of the antique gold frame
Limited edition of 50

The Night-Blowing Cereus

Robert Thornton, The Temple of Flora, 1800

$675.00

Thornton's moonlit cactus flower, printed on cotton-fibre archival paper, set in a hand-cut mount printed with 18th-century marbled paper, and framed in antique gold. Fifty will be made, each numbered on the mount.

Edition
50, numbered in order of sale
Framed size
About 65 x 80cm
Print
46 x 61cm, cotton-fibre archival paper
Mount
Marbled endpaper, printed edge to edge
Frame
Antique gold lustre wood, 33mm
Dispatch
Made to order in London

Comes with a matching numbered certificate. Print, mount and frame are fixed, chosen to go together.

Explore the regular Cereus print
What it's made of

Three parts, made to go together

The Night-Blowing Cereus print

The print

Reproduced from a high-resolution scan of an original 1800 plate in the Biodiversity Heritage Library, straightened and given an even paper margin all round, with Thornton's engraved title kept whole.

46 x 61cm · cotton-fibre archival paper · archival inks

The marbled endpaper mount, close up

The printed mount

Printed edge to edge with marbled paper from a scan of an 18th-century bookbinder's endpaper, the kind that lined the covers of books like The Temple of Flora. The window is cut by hand after printing, with a bevelled edge.

60 x 75cm · 7cm border · hand-cut bevel

Corner of the antique gold lustre frame with a mounted print

The frame

A solid wood moulding finished in antique gold lustre, warm and softly brushed rather than bright. Glazed with acrylic, which is lighter and safer than glass, and backed ready to hang.

33mm wide · 30mm deep · acrylic glazing · ready to hang

The edition

Fifty, numbered, and then no more

Each piece is numbered on the mount in the order it is bought, in a small bookseller's ticket in the bottom right corner, and comes with a certificate carrying the same number. When all fifty have gone, this combination of print, mount and frame will not be made again.

  • Number printed on the mount, never added later
  • Matching numbered certificate
  • Sold-out editions stay listed as sold out
Close-up of the edition number on the mount
About the artwork

A flower that opens for one night

The night-blowing cereus flowers once a year, after dark, and has faded by morning. For The Temple of Flora, published in London between 1799 and 1807, Robert Thornton set it in a moonlit landscape with a church clock just past midnight behind it.

The flower was painted by Philip Reinagle and the moonlight by Abraham Pether, and the plate was engraved by Richard Dunkarton and published on 20 May 1800. It is one of the most celebrated botanical images ever made.

See all 30 Temple of Flora prints
Made in London

Printed, cut and framed by hand

Printing the Cereus artwork on fine-art paper
Printing. The Cereus artwork, printed on cotton-fibre archival paper.
Finished marbled window mount beside the mount cutter
Cutting. The window cut by hand, with a bevelled edge, after the mount is printed.
Sealing the back of the frame with brown framing tape
Framing. Joined, glazed and backed, then sealed with framer’s tape and checked for delivery.
Good to know

Delivery and care

How long will it take?

Each edition is made to order in London. See our delivery information for current timings and shipping options.

Which number will I get?

The next one in the run. Numbers are given in the order editions are bought, so the number cannot be chosen.

Can I change the frame or mount?

Not on the edition: the print, mount and frame together are what make it the edition. The regular print can be framed any way you like.

How should I look after it?

Hang it out of direct sunlight and away from damp. Dust the frame with a dry cloth and clean the acrylic with a soft cloth and a little water, never with glass cleaner.

Can I return it?

See our returns policy for full details, or contact us with a question about this edition.