Matthias Franz

Matthias Schmutzer was an Austrian botanical illustrator noted for his work "Das Florilegium Kaiser Franz I", a compendium of plants from the garden of Emperor Francis I. Schmutzer worked on the paintings between 1794 and 1824, producing 1433 plates known as "Florilegium A". In 1766 he attended a class on copper engraving at the Imperial Academy of Fine Arts, but it was only on his appointment as court botanical artist that his work became well known.