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Pierre Joseph
Redouté (1759-1840) Pierre Joseph
Redouté was born in 1759 at St. Hubert, at
the time a part of Luxembourg. At the age of 13 he
set out and began his career as a painter,
following in the footsteps of his grandfather,
father, and brothers that preceded him. He had good
fortune, and through the patronage of his mentors
was able to secure employment from the French
aristocracy. Redouté enjoyed the patronage
of Marie Antoinette, and after the French
Revolution removed many of the heads of government
(literally), Redouté found a new patron in
Joséphine Bonaparte. Joséphine was
particularly fond of her rose garden, and the
gardens at Malmaison were among the finest in
Europe, extending over 4,500 acres. Redouté
was her official artist, and produced his finest
work cataloguing every known variety of rose that
grew there, amounting to approximately 250
varieties. Redouté is
probably the most accomplished and renowned flower
painter of all time, although his roses are
probably the best known of his work, I have
included illustrations of flowers here. The
precision, lifelike quality and vibrant colours of
these watercolours remain to this day the pinnacle
of botanical drawing. Click on the
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