REDOUTÉ, Pierre-Joseph (Belgian, 1759-1840).
Watercolor for plate 134: “Rhombic Wake-Robin” Trillium rhomboideum.
Prepared for Les Liliacées.
Watercolor and graphite on vellum.
Signed lower left: "P.J. Redouté".
ca. 1802-1816.
18 3/8" x 13 1/2" vellum.

Depicted as Trillium rhomboideum in Les Liliacées, this North American woodland plant is closely related to T. erectum (red wake-robin) and belongs to the sessile-flowered group of trilliums. The rhombic leaf shape that gives this species its name is characteristic of certain eastern North American forest trilliums.

Native to a broad arc of eastern North America from Quebec and eastern Canada south through Michigan, Pennsylvania, and Delaware to Alabama and Georgia, this trillium arrived in French cultivation through the same Michaux network that supplied the sessile wake-robin. Its more northerly range, including Canadian provinces, reflects the comprehensive character of Michaux’s North American collections.

The depiction of two closely related trillium species in Les Liliacées, illustrates Redouté’s and de Candolle’s commitment to botanical rigor, where a superficial illustrator might have been content with a single trillium image; the publication’s scientific ambition required that closely related but distinct species be separately documented. This approach was entirely consistent with Josephine’s wishes - she wanted her collection to be botanically accurate as well as visually splendid.

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The unequalled botanical artist, Pierre-Joseph Redoute, occupies a central position in the development of European flower painting. Redoute had as pupils or patrons five queens and empresses of France, from Marie-Antoinette to Empress Josephine and her successor, Marie-Louise. Despite many changes of regime in a turbulent epoch, he worked without interruption, a testament to his greatness as an artist.

Les Liliacees, Redoute's largest and most ambitious work, is generally considered to be the artist's masterpiece. Produced under the patronage of the Empress Josephine, for whom Redoute worked as botanical artist at her estate at Malmaison, this pristine example represents a landmark work in the field of flower illustration. The title is misleading, for the work covers a much broader scope: the work includes representatives of the lily, amaryllis, iris, orchid, and other families. The plates were executed by means of stipple engraving, which, as noted, was a method that the artist himself perfected when he was unsatisfied with the effects garnered by traditional copper-plate engraving. As he shrewdly observed, the delicacy and subtle elegance of his compositions could only be captured using an equally fine printing method.

Les Liliacees records the plants of the lily family and related flowers that Josephine collected for her gardens at Malmaison. Redoute's small drawings, placed at the bottom of the main illustrations, record the anatomical features of each species so that each flower could be identified with precision and cultivated to perfection. Redoute's work represents a uniquely harmonious blend of scientific precision and supremely delicate artistry.

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