A decorative floral design by Clarence Bicknell from his Book of Guests in Esperanto. Here he plays tribute to one of his best friends and helpers; “Luigi Pollini was for many years and still is my factotum, but particularly for my botanical interests. He helped me collect plants in Italy, France, Switzerland, Spain, and also […]
Aquilegia atrata in Clarence’s Book of Guests in Esperanto Read More »
In italiano sotto Violet Van Biesbroeck – A mystery solved. The little girl in the 1915 Christmas card to Clarence is the newly-born daughter of the man who drew the picture, Jules van Biesbroeck. Violet Leonie Van Biesbroeck was born in Bordighera on 12 March 1915 to Jules van Biesbroeck and his wife Stephanie (née
Violet Van Biesbroeck – Un mistero risolto. Read More »
Our website and Facebook posting about the identity of Luigi Pollini (https://old.clarencebicknell.com/cima-pollini-who-was-pollini/) has triggered further input on the subject from readers. Most informative is this from Luca Barale, Researcher for the National Research Council of Italy, Institute of Geosciences and Earth Resources, in Turino. He writes to us on 15 November 2021… “I hope this
Naming of Cima Pollini Read More »
Clarence Bicknell’s painting is from his Book of Guests in Esperanto opposite the entry for Capi, his niece Nora’s dog. Clarence Bicknell wrote a page in Esperanto about each visitor and decorated the page with a botanical drawing, often developing the guest’s initial into a monogram. The words translated read… “Capi, my niece Nora’s black
Watercolour drawing of Water Avens by Clarence Bicknell Read More »
The Children’s Picture Book of Wild Plants of 1908 is one of Clarence’s best illustrated albums, all of them bound in vellum (kid’s leather) and provided empty by his niece Margaret Berry. Clarence introduces it “This is a Children’s Picture-Book; the Babes who cannot read may look upon the right-hand Pages; while on the left
Lathyrus pratensis in Clarence’s book for children Read More »
The family Bottacco and Clarence Bicknell – how did they know each other? Rhea Bottacca Sanseverino, her husband Leopoldo Bottacco and their daughter Rita Bottacco Edoardo Fumio of Florence contacted us on 6th April 2021 to ask for the original pictures from the “Clarence Bicknell’s Casa Fontanalba Visitors’ Book” which showed the entries in the
The family Bottacco and Clarence Bicknell Read More »
The Ancient King, l’Antico Re, was the name used by Clarence Bicknell and other botanists of the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries for Saxifraga florulenta. Botanists and enthusiasts have always spent many patient hours in search of this rarity, and forever will. It is wonderful and exciting to find it in bloom. Read the
The Ancient King, Saxifraga florulenta Read More »
I received today a copy of an interesting photo of Clarence Bicknell. It was sent by Dr. Andrea De Pascale, PhD, Conservatore del Museo Archeologico del Finale, Istituto Internazionale di Studi Liguri (IISL), a sister museum of the Museo Bicknell. Andrea’s contact details are at the bottom of this page. The photo was acquired by
Photo of Clarence in 1883 in Finalmarina; what does it tell us? Read More »
We show three of Clarence’s images of the Martagon Lily here. Firstly in the Casa Fontanalba Visitors’ Book (Bicknell Collection) which he drew in 1906; every right hand page has a glorious watercolour of a wild plant, here Martagon Lily, and guests signed on the left when visiting his summer home in Casterino in the
Clarence Bicknell and the Martagon Lily; luxurious brightness Read More »
70 years after Clarence Bicknell’s death he was being referred to as L’Homme des Merveilles, the man who discovered the 11,000 rock engravings in the Vallée des Merveilles in the mountains on the border of southeast France and Italy. You can go hiking there (https://provence-alpes-cotedazur.com/en/things-to-do/the-most-beautiful-routes/hiking-alpes-maritimes-vallee-des-merveilles/), stay in on the little hotels in Casterino where Clarence
L’Homme des Merveilles – Clarence Bicknell Read More »
