Pierre Redoute - Resources for Botanical Art Lovers

Pierre-Joseph Redoute is recognized as the most talented botanical artist the world has known. He is often viewed as one of the last and the best of the botanical art painters and engravers.

During the late 18th and early 19th centuries he lived in Paris, the cultural and scientific center of Europe. Interest in plant illustration was at its height and his career flourished.

Commissioned by among others, Napoleon's Josephine, Redoute studied with the finest flower painters in France and Amsterdam, and developed a breathtaking skill at translating his observations of nature onto paper.

Redouté's profile is in no small way due to his patronage by two of the premier first ladies of European history

First Redouté was appointed as draughtsman to the cabinet of Marie Antoinette and he continued to paint right through the French Revolution.

After the Revolution, his post of official artist was transferred to the French Natural History Museum where he prepared illustrations for scientific publications. This involved developing botanical art for the Empress Josephine as part of her project to develop and document the gardens at Malmaison.

A large number of Redouté's original watercolors on vellum are in the collection of the Musée National de La Malmaison in France and other museums, though many are in private collections. His renown, however, is due to the remarkable quality of the prints.

Redouté originally went to London and Kew in 1786 to learn the art of stipple engraving and color printing which was to provide him him with the technical expertise needed to produce his beautiful botanical illustrations. He later introduced "stipple-engraving" to France.

Latterly, he certainly developed to perfection a method of colour application which involved the use of a minute chamois leather or cotton mop for the application of a succession of colours to a copper engaving.

In later years, he also learned how to paint using pure watercolour - from a Dutch artist, Gerard van Spaendonck.

Most of the images of Redoute's work which can now be seen online via galleries which are
- either selling original prints / colour engravings
- or are providing giclee prints of the originals.

His paintings of roses were published between 1817 and 1824. They are said to be the flower paintings (of any botanical artist) which are most often reproduced.