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The Choix des Plus Belles Fleurs (Selection of the most beautiful flowers) is the masterpiece of Redouté’s later years. This most celebrated of botanical artists (1759-1840) came from a Belgian family of painters, and served (under various titles) as drawing master to the queens and princesses of France for half a century. Among his pupils were Louise and Marie d’Orléans, to whom the Choix was dedicated: the latter became the first Queen of the Belgians. Over his eighty years, Redouté weathered the many changes in French society with remarkable ease, prospering under old and new regimes by adjusting to the times. The great multivolume folio scientific monographs of his middle period – the roses, the lilies, the succulent plants – were complemented in his later years by elegant quarto albums that featured selections of the more beautiful or striking plants. They were, essentially, art books of the highest quality. The finest of these, the Choix des Plus Belles Fleurs was issued in 36 parts between 1827 and 1833, with 144 superb hand-colored stipple engravings, of fruit as well as flowers. It is notable, too, for its retrospective preface, in which Redouté reflects on his life and achievements. Octavo’s edition is reproduced from a beautiful copy bound in contemporary morocco from the library of the California Academy of Sciences.
The original book imaged for this digital edition:
30 pages, 144 engravings, 13 1/8 x 9 3/4 inches (333 x 248 mm)
The original book imaged for this digital edition:
30 pages, 144 engravings, 13 1/8 x 9 3/4 inches (333 x 248 mm)
Pear-headed Potentate
Louise and Marie d'Orléans, the two princesses mentioned on the title page of the Choix, were the young daughters of Louis-Philippe, the so-called “Citizen King” of France, formerly the duc d’Orléans, who succeeded to the throne after three days of riots in July 1830 that led to the departure of his predecessor, Charles X. Perhaps Louis-Philippe is most familiar now as the subject of caricatures by Charles Philipon and Honoré Daumier, who drew him as “Monsieur Poire” with a pear-shaped head; the French word can be used to mean both a pear and a fool.
Louise and Marie d'Orléans, the two princesses mentioned on the title page of the Choix, were the young daughters of Louis-Philippe, the so-called “Citizen King” of France, formerly the duc d’Orléans, who succeeded to the throne after three days of riots in July 1830 that led to the departure of his predecessor, Charles X. Perhaps Louis-Philippe is most familiar now as the subject of caricatures by Charles Philipon and Honoré Daumier, who drew him as “Monsieur Poire” with a pear-shaped head; the French word can be used to mean both a pear and a fool.
Natural Novelties
Though the national botanic gardens, like Kew in London or the Muséum d’Histoire Naturelle in Paris, were usually the first places where plants brought back from voyages of exploration were cultivated, new species only became available to gardeners eager to grow the latest novelties once they were propagated and added to the stock of nursery gardens. At this period plants from South Africa and Australasia were particularly sought after, following the rich botanical harvest from Captain James Cook’s voyage round the world in 1768-71 with Joseph Banks (1743-1820) on board as naturalist. North American plants, especially trees, were also making an impression on landscape gardens in Europe.
Though the national botanic gardens, like Kew in London or the Muséum d’Histoire Naturelle in Paris, were usually the first places where plants brought back from voyages of exploration were cultivated, new species only became available to gardeners eager to grow the latest novelties once they were propagated and added to the stock of nursery gardens. At this period plants from South Africa and Australasia were particularly sought after, following the rich botanical harvest from Captain James Cook’s voyage round the world in 1768-71 with Joseph Banks (1743-1820) on board as naturalist. North American plants, especially trees, were also making an impression on landscape gardens in Europe.
Gallic Gardens
Even before Madame Bonaparte became the Empress Josephine, the style and the contents of her garden at Malmaison encouraged imitators, though the replacement of the formal style of grand French gardens by something closer to less rigid English designs did not originate there. The change seems to have begun among refugees from the 1789 Revolution who returned to France and began to restore their neglected grounds according to their version of the landscape gardens many of them had visited in England. Some tried to turn the gardens they designed into a series of scenes linked by small paths within a larger one surrounding the whole area. This gave scope for lawns surrounding the house, with clumps of trees or other vegetation to decorate the broader landscape, while there was also room for specialized collections such as Josephine's roses or “American gardens” that took advantage of the flood of plants from across the Atlantic.
Even before Madame Bonaparte became the Empress Josephine, the style and the contents of her garden at Malmaison encouraged imitators, though the replacement of the formal style of grand French gardens by something closer to less rigid English designs did not originate there. The change seems to have begun among refugees from the 1789 Revolution who returned to France and began to restore their neglected grounds according to their version of the landscape gardens many of them had visited in England. Some tried to turn the gardens they designed into a series of scenes linked by small paths within a larger one surrounding the whole area. This gave scope for lawns surrounding the house, with clumps of trees or other vegetation to decorate the broader landscape, while there was also room for specialized collections such as Josephine's roses or “American gardens” that took advantage of the flood of plants from across the Atlantic.
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