Pierre-Joseph Redouté (1759
- 1841) ) is oft referred to as the 'Raphael of flowers', He is undoubtedly one of history's most famous botanical artist, certainly the foremost Botanical illustrator of the 'Age of Reason '(Late 18th - early 19th cent.) many say of any age. Royal Flower painter to Marie Antoinette and court painter to the Empreess Josephine & later to Louis - Phillippe.
As drawing master to Marie Antoinette he had access to the Jardin du Roi, and through his friendship with the botanist Charles Louis L'Héritier and flower painter Gérard van Spaenndonck the 'vélins du Roi ' - the vast French collection of natural history paintings on vellum begun in the 17th. Cent. from which Redouté learnt new ways and techniques to depict flowers. (Redouté eventually contributed over 500 flower paintings of his own to the collection).
His brilliance and skill was recognized and saved him from the turmoil of the French Revoloution. He enjoyed a unique
position of favour both before and after the Revolution with
both aristocrats and peasants alike. He was appointed draftsman in
the Queen's Cabinet of Marie Antoinette which led to the position of official flower painter at the Museé D' Histoire Naturelle, in turn, leading to his
appointment as flower painter to the Empress Josephine at a
salary of 18,000 francs (about $50,000 today). He later became a founder of the French Academy of Natural Sciences.
But it was under Josephine's patronage that his career really flourished, for it was she who commissioned him to paint the roses at the world's mast beautiful rose garden - Malmaison, from his paintings the images of Les Roses were published. The publication
of Les Roses was a costly venture at 750 francs each
(approx. the value of this single image today).
His matchless artistry
was also admired by Audubon, who made a special trip to Redouté's
studio in Paris to exchange work with him. A keen observer
and teacher to the end, as he lay impoverished upon his death
bead at the age of 82, a student placed a flower into his hand
to study. He knew both great hardship and vast wealth during
his interesting life, but he has left he world an incalculable
legacy through the richness of his botanical images and particularly Les Roses & Les Liliacées.
Redouté also painted the flowers at some of Paris's other famous flower gardens, including his own at Flury-sous-Meudon. and those images inspired the publication of Les Liliacées. In all he contributed to some 28 important botanical works. During his life he knew both hardship and fame. A wealthy but extravagant man, it was the latter that saw him in debt at the time of his death. Nevertheless, the world is an incalculably richer place for his genius.
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