Tulip – Pierre-Joseph Redouté, 1824

“DRAGON TULIP”

“Tulipa Gesneriana. Var. Dracontia”, stipple engraving made by Langlois after a design by Pierre-Joseph Redouté, printed in colour and published in Paris by Imprimerie de Remond around 1824 as part of the “Album de Redouté“. Size (paper): 52.5 x 35.5 cm.

Pierre-Joseph Redouté (1759–1840) came from a family of painters in the Ardennes. In 1782, he moved to Paris, where he initially designed stage sets for the Théâtre Italien. In his free time, he sketched plants. He came into contact with the Dutch professor Gerard van Spaendonck (1746–1822), who was affiliated with the Jardin du Roi, and became his assistant and student.

Redouté’s talent soon flourished, and he was appointed court painter for Marie Antoinette and later for Joséphine de Beauharnais (Napoleon’s first wife), who was famous for her gardens surrounding Château de Malmaison. Redouté became artist-in-residence at Malmaison, where he produced “Les Liliacées“, his most extensive work, consisting of 486 colour engravings in eight volumes. He also created “Les Roses“, another remarkable and important book featuring 170 plates and descriptions of roses.

After Joséphine’s death, Redouté faced financial difficulties. In 1822, he became a drawing instructor at the Musée d’Histoire Naturelle, but after the Revolution of 1830, he was reinstated as Peintre du Cabinet de la Reine under Queen Marie-Amélie. His last major works, “Choix des plus belles fleurs” and “Choix de soixante roses dédiées à la reine des Belges“, completed his impressive oeuvre.

During his lifetime, Redouté was largely unaffected by the political upheaval of the era. Revolutions, restorations, and changing rulers all supported the work of this extraordinary botanical artist.

Redouté’s fame is primarily due to his dedication to perfecting the stipple engraving technique. This labour-intensive and therefore costly process created subtle and exquisite colour nuances. Each plate was produced using the à la poupée technique, in which multiple colours were applied to a plate before printing. After printing, each impression was meticulously hand-finished.

The “Album de Redouté” included a selection of Redouté’s most celebrated works from “Les Roses“, “Les Liliacées“, and “Jardin de la Malmaison.”

Price: Euro 1.750,-