Rosa centifolia bullata (Le Rosier á cent feuilles bullées), c. 1817
Pierre-Joseph Redouté
From Vol. 1, Les Roses, stipple engraving in bound volume, printed in colour and finished by hand
SAFE /RB /LF5/R, Vol. 1, opp. p. 37
Pierre-Joseph Redouté (1759-1840) is one of the most admired botanical artists of all time. Redouté's artistic skill won him attention in the years before and after the French Revolution. He was court artist to Marie-Antoinette, then teacher to Napoleon's first and second wives, Josephine and Marie-Louise. Under the patronage of Empress Josephine, Redouté produced his most famous and enduring work, Les Roses. It is a record of the many rare and exotic roses grown at Josephine's estate at Malmaison. Les Roses remains an important and beautiful document of a significant period in the history of rose development.
Display period: April 2007 – March 2008