This portrait of Carolus Clusius (1526 - 1609), founding director of the botanical gardens at the University of Leiden, and one of the key figures in development of systematic botany, was made on the occasion of the publication of his Rariorum Plantarum Historia (Antwerp: Jan Moretus, 1601). The portrait is often found in that publication, where it serves as a sort of frontispiece. But many copies of the book survive without the portrait, which suggests that the print was either an extra feature in deluxe copies, or that the portrait was often removed for separate sale by later booksellers. It is almost certain that the plate was available separately for purchase as well, for example by those assembling albums of famous figures of the age.

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