Raphael of Flowers
In this collection, you will find curated botanical illustrations by the "Raphael of Flowers" by Pierre Joseph Redoute who is one of the finest and most famous botanical illustrators of all time. Redouté was known for his exquisite watercolor paintings of lilies, roses, and other native plant species. Take a look at and get inspired by these aesthetic illustrations. This series also reminds me of the poet, Alfred Lord Tennyson - "If I had a flower for every time I thought of you... I could walk through my garden forever to celebrate, friendships and love. Pierre-Joseph Redouté, was a painter and botanist from the Austrian Netherlands, known for his watercolours of roses, lilies and other flowers at the Chateau de Malmison, many of which were published as large coloured stipple engravings. He has been called the greatest botanical illustrator of all time.
Earth’s own canvas, green and wide Where dreams and blossoms coincide. Each leaf a verse, each flower a rhyme. A garden sings through endless time. Redouté was an official court artist of Marie Antoinette, and continued painting through the French Revolution and Reign of Terror. He survived the turbulent political upheaval to gain international recognition for his precise renderings of plants, which remain as fresh in the early 21st century as when first painted. He combined great artistic skills with a pleasing and ingratiating personality which assisted him with his influential patrons. After Queen Marie-Antoinette, his patrons included both of Napoleon's wives – Empress Josephine and Marie Louise, Duchess of Parma – as well as Maria Amalia of Naples and Sicily, wife of Louis Philippe 1, the last king of France.
Petals soft, colors bright, Dancing in the golden light. Whispering to the gentle breeze, Nature’s art, meant to please.