Redoute’s Bouquet des Fleurs – Volume with 60 Originally Hand-colored Lithographs

This lovely and exceedingly rare volume with 60 hand-colored lithographs is an untitled work involving Pierre Joseph Redoute. It seems to now be referred to as Bouquet des Fleurs. The spine has the been lettered with Fleurs de Redoute. The publication information is very limited in what could be researched. and was likely printed in the 1830s to 1850s in Paris by Chez Clement. Great Flower Books does mention an uncoloured quarto series of floral bouquets and Hunt records a color issue but little more is known, and this is likely one of the last publications in Redoute’s lifetime. It is bound in contemporary morocco-backed boards.

Nomenclature on the plate reads “Peint par P. J. Redoute” which could be translated to mean coloring by Redoute or drawn by Redoute. Additional nomenclature reads the same denoting either Pointel du Portail, Prevost, or Courtin as well. Based on the design of the bouquets and research available, it is probably a safe presumption that Redoute would be responsible for the illustrations and Portail, Prevost, & Courtin for the coloring. The lithography process is at least clearly credited to Villain.

Redoute’s name is synonymous with beauty and in the world of botanical art he is known as the best. Redoute was renowned for his artistic ability and tutored such people as Queen Marie-Antoinette, Empress Josephine, Marie-Louise, and Queen Marie-Amelie. Redoute influenced a breadth of artists that followed him including Turpin, Poiteau, Bessa, and Prevost. Redoute is widely considered the finest botanical illustrator of the early 19th century, if not throughout history.

Provenance: There is a bookplate present that reads Henry Rogers Broughton and shows his family crest. Broughton (1900-1973) amassed one of the most important collections of botanical art in the world.