John Miller (1715–c.1792), also known as Johann Sebastian Müller, was a German engraver and botanist active in London. Born in

Nuremberg Nuremberg ( ; german: link=no, Nürnberg ; in the local East Franconian dialect: ''Nämberch'' ) is the second-largest city of the German state of Bavaria after its capital Munich, and its 518,370 (2019) inhabitants make it the 14th-largest ...

, he trained under

Johann Christoph Weigel Johann Christoph Weigel, known as Christoph Weigel the Elder (9 November 1654 – 5 February 1725), was a German engraver, art dealer and publisher. He was born at Redwitz, Free imperial city of Cheb, Eger in Egerland, and died in Nuremberg, age ...

and came to England in 1744 with his brother Tobias–an engraver of architecture–and lived there the rest of his life. He worked with

Philip Miller Philip Miller FRS (1691 – 18 December 1771) was an English botanist and gardener of Scottish descent. Miller was chief gardener at the Chelsea Physic Garden for nearly 50 years from 1722, and wrote the highly popular ''The Gardeners Dictio ...

Chelsea Physic Garden The Chelsea Physic Garden was established as the Apothecaries' Garden in London, England, in 1673 by the Worshipful Society of Apothecaries to grow plants to be used as medicines. This four acre physic garden, the term here referring to the sc ...

. He signed his early works J. S. Müller or J. S. Miller, but after 1760 used the signature of John Miller. His works included a 20-part series ''Illustratio Systematis Sexualis Linnaei'' (Illustration of the Sexual System of Linnaeus), which helped popularize the work of

Carl Linnaeus Carl Linnaeus (; 23 May 1707 – 10 January 1778), also known after his ennoblement in 1761 as Carl von Linné Blunt (2004), p. 171. (), was a Swedish botanist, zoologist, taxonomist, and physician who formalised binomial nomenclature, the ...

to English readers. He also produced collaborative works such as ''Botanical Tables'' (1785), with

John Stuart, 3rd Earl of Bute John Stuart, 3rd Earl of Bute, (; 25 May 1713 – 10 March 1792), styled Lord Mount Stuart between 1713 and 1723, was a British nobleman who served as the 7th Prime Minister of Great Britain from 1762 to 1763 under George III. He was arguabl ...

. Furthermore, he painted landscapes, which, as well as some of his engravings, he exhibited with the

Society of Arts The Royal Society for the Encouragement of Arts, Manufactures and Commerce (RSA), also known as the Royal Society of Arts, is a London-based organisation committed to finding practical solutions to social challenges. The RSA acronym is used m ...

and at the

Royal Academy The Royal Academy of Arts (RA) is an art institution based in Burlington House on Piccadilly in London. Founded in 1768, it has a unique position as an independent, privately funded institution led by eminent artists and architects. Its pur ...

from 1762 to 1788. He was twice married, and had in all twenty-seven children: two of his sons,

John Frederick Miller John Frederick Miller (1759–1796) was an English illustrator, mainly of botanical subjects. Miller was the son of the artist Johann Sebastian Müller (1715 – c. 1790). Miller, along with his brother James, produced paintings from the sketches ...

and James Müller or Miller, also became known as illustrators.

Works

*''Engravings of Insects, with descriptions''. London 7 p., 10 col.plates. (1759-1760) *''The Figures of the most beautiful, useful, and uncommon plants'' (1760) *''Illustratio Systematis Sexualis Linnaei'' (1770-1777) *''Botanical Tables'' (1785) File:Illustratio systematis sexualis Linnaeani (Tab. 47) (6059662472).jpg, ''

Paeonia officinalis ''Paeonia officinalis'', the common peony, or garden peony, is a species of flowering plant in the family Paeoniaceae, native to mainly mountainous areas of Southern Europe and introduced in Central and Western Europe and North America. ''Paeon ...

'' from ''Illustratio systematis sexualis Linnaeani'' Illustratio systematis sexualis Linnaeani (Tab. 68) (6059667280).jpg, ''

Helianthus annuus The common sunflower (''Helianthus annuus'') is a large annual forb of the genus ''Helianthus'' grown as a crop for its edible oily seeds. Apart from cooking oil production, it is also used as livestock forage (as a meal or a silage plant), as b ...

'' from ''Illustratio systematis sexualis Linnaeani'' Poetry, Painting and Candour.jpg, "Poetry, Painting & Candour"

References

External links

* * 1715 births 1792 deaths Botanical illustrators German illustrators English illustrators Artists from Nuremberg {{Botanist-stub