Johann Christoph Volkamer was a 17th -century Nuremberg silk merchant with passion for gardening that defined his life. He was obsessed with citrus fruit at a time when the genus was largely unknown in northern Europe. In 1708, he commissioned 256 plates of 170 varieties of the fruit – images collected in a new book by Prof Iris Lauterbach called JC Volkamer. Citrus Fruits (Taschen, out 2 December).
Lauterbach, an art historian, understands his devotion. “Citrus trees are beautiful. The trees that bloom and fruit at the same time in orangeries evoke the idea of a timeless paradise of blissful happiness.”
