Redoute Watercolor, Unique Unfinished Study

REDOUTE, Pierre-Joseph (BELGIAN, 1759-1840).
Study for a Bouquet.
Watercolor and graphite on vellum.
Signed lower right "P.J. Redoute".
18" x 14" vellum, 27 1/2" x 23 1/2" framed.

A beautiful unique unfinished study by the Raphael of Flowers.

Pierre-Joseph Redoute is unquestionably the best-known botanical illustrator of any era. His work seems to demand the invention of lofty praise. A critic, writing of the 1804 Salon exhibition, noted that Redoute's" six paintings of flowers executed in watercolor for H. M. the empress ... are realistic and beautifully painted, ... perfectly imitating nature." He concluded, "The delicacy, exactitude, and elegance of the brushwork gives them great merit." Vivant Denon, Director of Museums under the Empire, stated that Redoute's gouaches were "masterpieces," and the artist was similarly described both as the "Rembrandt" and the "Raphael" of flowers by nineteenth-century writers. It is thus unsurprising that Redoute occupies a central position in the development of European floral art, contributing to both the artistry and scientific advancement of botanical study.