Born in Nuremburg, Germany during the sixteenth century, artist Basilius Besler was originally a pharmacist appointed by Prince - Bishop Johann Konrad von Gemmingen to take care of the large gardens that surrounded his castle. In 1606, this same prince asked Besler to draw up a catalog in the form of a florilegium, a compilation of written works, containing illustrations of the botanicals in his collection. With more than 1,000 plants represented in the catalog, and each drawn very accurately and artistically, Besler began to realize his natural talent. Gaining the assistance of two collaborators, who helped him write the text and craft the botanical descriptions, Besler further hired many different artisans to help him engrave the text into the copper plates. The final product, Hortus Eystettensis, which means  garden at Eichstätt, was published in 1613. Today, Besler s composition remains one of the most important florilegias ever published.