Arguably the best engraving of a melon ever printed. The ‘Pomona Britannica’ by George Brookshaw (1751-1823) is the considered the finest British work on fruit ever published, a rival in quality to Thornton’s ‘Temple of Flora’. He was a retired cabinetmaker who took ten years to produce this work. The stunning images are largely drawn from the gardens of Hampton Court. It took ‘nearly ten years of constant attention and labour’. The plates are set against a darker background which makes them stand out and the care and attention taken in their production is clear to see. It was published to encourage gardeners to grow fruit. Dunthorne (1938) 50; Great Flower Books (1990) p. 81; Nissen (1966) BBI 244; Raphael (1990) ‘An Oak Spring Pomona’ pp. 104-6.