Pierre-Joseph Redouté (1759–1840)

Pierre-Joseph Redouté is probably the best known of the great botanical artists. The accuracy and beauty of his renditions of plants and flowers made them a landmark in nature painting. He has been called "the Raphael of flowers." Redouté left home at age 13 to work as an itinerant painter. He joined his brother in Paris, and later worked at the French Academy of Sciences and the Jardin des Plantes, and became an official court artist of Queen Marie Antoinette. He managed to survive the French Revolution and was later commissioned by the Empress Josephine to paint the roses she loved at her Château de Malmaison near Paris. His book Les Roses was published 1817-1820 with 168 color plates; 75-80 of the roses were grown at Malmaison.