REDOUTÉ Pierre-Joseph (1759-1840). Plate #159: Narcissus jonquilla (Rush Daffodil)

Pierre-Joseph Redouté Plate #159: Narcissus jonquilla (Rush Daffodil) From: Les Liliacées Paris: 1802-1816 Size: Appx 14” x 25” Hand colored stipple engraving The unequalled botanical artist Pierre-Joseph Redouté occupies a central position in the development of European flower painting. Redouté 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 Liliacées was Redouté’s largest and most ambitious work and is generally considered his masterpiece, arguably rivaled only by Les Roses. Produced under the patronage of the Empress Josephine, for whom Redouté worked as botanical artist at her estate at Malmaison, these pristine examples represent landmark works in the field of flower illustration.The title Les Liliacées is misleading, as the work was of a much broader scope, in