Rose, Anemone, Clematide

Pierre-Joseph Redouté, famed painter and botanist, created this watercolor piece for the publication of his book, Choix des Plus Belle Fleurs: et des plus beaux fruits (Choice of the Most Beautiful Flowers and the most beautiful fruits). The book contained 144 paintings in total, a mere fraction of the thousands of plates Redouté published in his lifetime.

Redouté was born in the Southern Netherlands and came to Paris in his early twenties. While in the City of Lights he befriended botanists who encouraged him to join the field of botanical illustration. His paintings eventually caught the eye of Marie Antoinette, and Redouté became an official court artist just a few years later. He survived the turbulent political period following the abolition of the monarchy and gained international fame for his plates’ precision and detail. Over the course of his lifetime, Redouté produced over 2,100 published plates, many of which contained species never rendered before.

This trio portrays a rose, an anemone, and a clematis bloom.