NEWS about Botanical Art and for Botanical Artists

Winter: Christmas Cactus

5/12/2023

Christmas Cactus (1884) by Christian Möllback (Danish, 1853–1921)

As the seasons change, I always change the banner on the Home Page of my Botanical Art and Artists website and on its associated Facebook Page.

However, I ALWAYS struggle to find a suitable image for Winter in terms of Winter Plants which bloom. I've had rather a lot of variations on Hellebore in the past

The alternative is to dedicate Winter to Latin America, South African and Australasian blooms - but I'm much less familiar with blooming seasons for such plants and would very much appreciate recommendations of artwork which might be suitable for next year. I started off thinking maybe a Banksia this year - but then got distracted by Christmas Cactus!

Or rather this painting of a Christmas Cactus by a 19th century Danish artist called Christian Juel-Frijs Möllback (1853-1921) who appears to be relatively unknown despite selling well on the auction market. Sotheby's valued it at between £15-20k when it had it as a sale lot.

I started off searching using Latin names (Schlumbergera truncata and variations on Epiphyllum) , which is normally a good way to track down botanical illustrations - but not this time.

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Autumn 2023: Chinese watercolour of Asian Fruits

3/9/2023

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When I change the seasonal banners for my website and Facebook Page, I normally try to pick images for each seasonal banner of flowers or fruits which I'm totally confident are correct for the season. However I've been totally seduced by a wonderful album of Chinese watercolours of Asian fruits - and I have absolutely no idea which ones are correct in which season or even what some of the fruits are - despite three trips to the east (Malaysia, Singapore and Indonesia) and visiting local markets! Although I think I recognised some....

The main problem is none of the fruits are identified in English and indeed each is identified only by very faint arabic script. However I did recognise the pink pineapple which I regularly see fruiting in the Princess of Wales Glasshouse at Kew.

[Note: feel free to suggest what the fruits are in this image via the comments]

Page 21 of the Album of Chinese Watercolours of Asian Fruits

I found the album:

in the Biodiversity Heritage Library website
it's also on the Internet Archive and
available to view via the Harvard Library Viewer.

I think the source is the Dunbarton Oaks website where it is identified as a rare heritage folio of Album of Chinese watercolors of Asian fruits]. [between 1798 and 1810]. There's absolutely no indication as to who the painter is. Such labels as do exist are written in Arabic script - which makes one wonder why they were identified as Chinese Watercolours.

The Harvard reference page states...

Bill Archer and his wife Mildred, an English art historian who specialized in 18th- and 19th-century art in British India, curator of Prints and Drawings at the India Office Library from 1954 to 1980, viewed this album of watercolors at Dumbarton Oaks around 1958 and determined from their style and coloring that the album was most likely painted by a Chinese artist, probably in Malaysia or Sumatra. Archer dated the manuscript to between 1798 and 1810.

while the Dumbarton Oaks Research Library shelflist card apparently states

"Drawn by Indian artists under English influence: probably done in India but has no relation to Chinese artists - check where Chinese were working at this time in India or possibly in Indo-China. Indian artists started this vogue of drawing. Writing is perhaps Malaysian."

Whoever painted them, the first 12 paintings are absolutely fascinating as they are very elaborate compositions which fill the page. they comprise:

several fruit on each page
sometimes at different stages of their life cycle
sometimes peeled or segmented to reveal their internal structure
surrounded by relevant flowers and foliage

Each of the 12 images are well worth studying in terms of composition and arrangement.

Asian artists who go large.....

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Summer 2023: Ranunculus by H. Isabel Adams (1863 - 1952)

2/6/2023

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I've updated my website and Facebook Page banners for new plants as we move into Summer in the northern hemisphere.

For Summer 2023, I've chosen this image by Harriet Isabel Adams (known as H Isabel Adams) . She has who portrayed the ranunculus which are everywhere I look at the moment on my daily "look after my osteoarthritis" walks. Her images have a relaxed appearance leaning towards a very sophisticated page in a sketchbook. Her illustrations have been much admired over the years.

The plants in the Ranunculus genus in the plate are, from left to right:

Field Crowfoot (Ranunculus arvensis)
Creeping Buttercup (Ranunculus repens)
Upright Buttercup (Ranunculus acris var. vulgaris)
Bulbous Buttercup (Ranunculus bulbosus) - or St. Anthony's Turnip!

You can see below her very careful printed and capitalised labels near the base of the drawing - which identify each plant in turn. I do like people who know how to print carefully and position unobtrusively.

Each plate in the book has supporting text identifying all the botanical features of each of the plants - see below for page 6 of the Summer Volume and the plants on Plate 4.

H. Isobel Adams and "Wild Flowers of the British Isles"

As I have written previously Mrs Harriet Isabel Adams FLS (1863-1952) trained at Birmingham School of Art and became a noted 'Arts and Crafts' Illustrator. She sought help from others in gathering specimens but remarkably little is known about her.

On 15th November 1906, 'Mrs Harriet Isabel Adams' was elected as a Fellow of the Linnean Society, having been proposed at the previous meeting.
She was also a member of the The Botanical Society and Exchange Club of the British Isles.

She died age 89 in 1952.

She is best known for having written and illustrated "Wild Flowers of the British Isles" which was published in two volumes by Heinemann in 1910. (digitised in 2016)

You can also view it in the Biodiversity Heritage Library

It's one of my all time favourite books about wild flowers in Britain and I do wish some publisher would get to grips with the task of publishing a facsimile. I guarantee it would sell well to both botanical art lovers and the wider public because it is both informative and her illustrations are so very beautiful to look at.

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Spring 2023 Banner: Primula Auricula by Pierre-Joseph Redouté

1/3/2023

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Today is the first day of Meteorological Spring - and it's time to change the banner on this website and my Facebook Page.

I try to keep the plant relevant to the season where I live, so the new banner is based on Primula auricula var. by Pierre-Joseph Redouté - which is plate 139 of Choix des plus belles fleurs (The most beautiful flowers).

Below you can find out more about both flower and the book.

PicturePrimula Auricula by Pierre-Joseph Redouté - which is plate 139 of Choix des plus belles fleurs (The most beautiful flowers).

Primula Auricula var. by Pierre-Joseph Redouté - plate 139 of "Choix des plus belles fleurs" (The most beautiful flowers).

About Primula auricula

The plate is titled (lower right) Primula auricula var.
On the lower left is the phrase "Oreilles d'ors" aka Bear Ears and the 'signature' of Pierre-Joseph Redouté

Primula auricula, often known as auricula, mountain cowslip or bear's ear, is a species of flowering plant in the family Primulaceae, that grows on basic rocks in the mountain ranges of central Europe, including the western Alps, Jura Mountains, the Vosges, the Black Forest and the Tatra Mountains.

About 'Choix des plus belles fleurs'

I have a reproduction of Choix des plus belles fleurs in my HUGE "The Book of Flowers" by H Walter Lack with illustrations by Pierre Joseph Redoute published in a multilingual edition by Taschen. (see my page dedicated to Redoute for my summary review of it - and what you need to know before you order a copy!)

Facts about Redoute and this publication

Choix des plus belles fleurs was issued in 36 parts between 1827 and 1833
It contains 144 hand-colored stipple engravings of fruit as well as flowers which are superb quality in terms of printmaking
Redouté (1759-1840) was 68 when the book began being published
Its full title is extremely long according to Walter Lack - Choix des plus belles fleurs prise dans differentes famililles due regne vegetal et de quelques branches des plus beaux fruits: Dédié à LL. AA. RR. les princesses Louise et Marie d'Orléans
its preface is used by Redouté to reflect on his long life and many noteworthy achievements.

Full title of the Choix des plus Belles Fleurs

Writers in old age frequently resolve to publishing, as 'selected works', a number of their most successful texts. Through this they are able to refresh their reputation and to obtain royalties that may assist them financially in their twilight years. Pierre-Joseph Redouté too, it seems thought of doing such a thing when he decided to publish his own selection, his Choix, at the age of 68.
H. Walter Lack in a retrospective comment on Pierre-Joseph Redouté's selection

This publication was a luxurious book and was is, in effect, part of the "greatest hits" section of his very celebrated career:
- in mid career he focused on multi-volume folio scientific monographs (the roses, the lilies, the succulent plants)
- in his later years he focused on elegant quarto albums that featured selections of the more beautiful or striking plants.
- the same method of printing the engravings in color and expertly finishing them by hand was used for this later work as for his highly celebrated Les Liliacées and Les Roses
- plant depictions still display many of the characteristics of his style e.g. leaves often shown front and back,
It's regarded by many as a masterpiece of his later years.
the book was dedicated to his pupils Louise and Marie d’Orléans, daughters of the Louis-Philippe who became King of the French in 1830.

The plates include

several plants recently introduced to Europe, among them
- one of the giant heathers from the Cape of Good Hope and
- a new hybrid magnolia Magnolia x soulangeana developed in France about 1820.
The irises and the roses - which echo the contents of Redouté’s two most celebrated books Les Liliacées and Les Roses.

Choix des plus belles fleurs - in its 36 original parts (from The Library of Henry Rogers Broughton, 2nd Baron Fairhaven) was auctioned by Sotheby's in 2022 with an estimated valuation of £50-70,000.

REFERENCE

About Pierre-Joseph Redouté (1759-1840)
This page is about the eminent botanical artist and royal flower painter Pierre-Joseph Redouté (1759-1840). It includes

a timeline of his life and career
reference links to biographies and books about his life and work.
online galleries of images and exhibitions which display his work

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Autumn 2022 Banner: Medlar and Pear by Joris Hoefnagel

5/9/2022

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The correct title of the painting used for the new Autumn Banner for my website and Facebook Page is actually Medlar, Poppy Anemone, and Pear by Joris Hoefnagel.

The cropped image comes from an illumination within a book called the Mira calligraphiae monumenta (Model Book of Calligraphy ) which was written 1561–1562 by Georg Bocskay the Croatian-born court secretary to the Holy Roman Emperor Ferdinand. The illumination at the bottom of the page was added about 1591–1596.

Joris (aka Georg) Hoefnagel was commissioned by Emperor Rudolph II, Ferdinand's grandson, to illustrate the book - some 15 years after the death of Bocksay. Hoefnagel added fruit, flowers, and insects to nearly every page.

Medlar, Poppy Anemone, and Pear, 1561–1562; illumination added 1591–1596 Watercolors, gold and silver paint, and ink, Leaf: 16.6 × 12.4 cm (6 9/16 × 4 7/8 in.) Joris Hoefnagel (Flemish / Hungarian, 1542 - 1600), illuminator and Georg Bocskay (Hungarian, died 1575), scribe The J. Paul Getty Museum, Los Angeles, Ms. 20, fol. 13, 86.MV.527.13

About Medlar, Poppy Anemone, and Pear

- In 1591, Hoefnagel was appointed court artist to Holy Roman Emperor Rudolf II. In this role he was commissioned to illustrate the Mira calligraphiae monumenta a model book of calligraphic scripts.

This image is from the edition (1 of 2) owned by the Getty Museum and has fruit, flowers, and insects to nearly every page.

The Getty Museum does not state what the support is but I'm guessing it's vellum as that's stated to be the support used for other artwork by Hoefnagel on other websites. Also, if you inspect a magnified version of the image, you can see the dry brush strokes commonly used on such supports. The media used for the illumination is watercolour, gold and silver paint, and ink.

You can see more examples of the calligraphy by Bocskay and paintings by Hoefnagel on this page.

When I look at these, I get the impression that he added images to each page one at a time - and kept going until he had a nice assembly. That's because the images don't fit seasons as such! I can demonstrate this - with the example BELOW - called Insect, Daffodil, European Columbine, and English Oak Acorns. This suggests that maybe the daffodil was painted first, the columbine came next and then the acorns later in the year - and the insect maybe added last to add to the overall balance of the image.

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Summer 2022 Banner: Victoria regia - the Royal Water Lily

1/6/2022

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Tomorrow is the Platinum Jubilee - the 70th anniversary of the Coronation of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II.

As today is the day I change the seasonal banner on this website - and linked sites - I thought it might be appropriate if I could find an image with a Royal link.

Which is why the new image is of one of my favourite botanical illustrations - the illustration of Victoria regia - the Royal Waterlily at the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew - by Walter Hood Fitch.

"Victoria regia" (1851) by Walter Hood Fitch - an Illustration of a specimen of the Royal water-lily, flowering at Kew.

About Victoria regia / Victoria amazonica

Victoria regia / amazonica is a member of the genus Victoria. It is the largest waterlily species (of the family Nymphaeaceae) in the world due to its enormous lily pads (leaves).

On its classification by John Lindley in 1837, the plant was originally named Victoria regia in honour of Queen Victoria, who had recently ascended to the throne. It's still known by this name in Guyana, where it is the national flower.

Since then it has been renamed Victoria amazonica. This is because it is a native of the shallow waters of the Amazon River.

TIMELINE:

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Spring 2022 Banner: Tulipa gesneriana from the Gottorfer Codex

1/3/2022

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Tulipa gesneriana (from the 'Gottofer Codex' by Hans Simon Holtzbecker bind 1, planche 55) gouache on parchment (created between 1649 - 1659)

On the first day of meteorological Spring, I've changed the banner on this website's home page and associated Facebook Page to this image of Tulipa gesneriana.

The five specimens of Tulipa gesneriana were painted in gouache on parchment between 1649 - 1659 and is yet another image from the 'Gottofer Codex' by Hans Simon Holtzbecker

You can read more about painting on vellum and parchment on this page.

Tulipa gesneriana

Tulips have long been favoured subjects for both flower painters and botanical artists.

Below are examples of other images of botanical paintings of tulipa gesneriana include the following - from the mid and late 17th century and the early 19th century by

Hans Simon Holtzbecker (1610 - 1671) I must get on and finish my dedicated page about him!
Alexander Marshall (1620-1682)

Pierre-Joseph Redouté (1759-1840) from Les Liliacees (1802 - 15) 500 plates of lilies.

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