Redouté. The Book of Flowers

by H. Walter Lack, Pierre-Joseph Redouté (painter)

French flower painter Pierre-Joseph Redouté (1759–1840) devoted himself exclusively to capturing the diversity of flowering plants in watercolor paintings which were then published as copper engravings, with careful botanical descriptions. The darling of wealthy Parisian patrons including Napoleon’s wife Josephine, he was dubbed “the Raphael of flowers,” and is regarded to this day as a master of botanical illustration.

This elegant catalogue brings together all engravings from Redouté’s illustrations of Roses and Choix des plus belles fleurs (Selection of the Most Beautiful Flowers) and the most astounding images from The Lilies. Offering a vibrant overview of Redouté’s admixture of accuracy and beauty, it is also a privileged glimpse into the magnificent gardens and greenhouses of a bygone Paris.

H. Walter Lack is a Professor at the Free University of Berlin and former Director of the Botanical Gardens and Botanical Museum in Berlin-Dahlem. A leading expert in the history of botany, his research focuses on the global transfer of useful and ornamental plants from a cultural historical perspective. He is the author of TASCHEN’s Garden of Eden and The Book of Palms.

Genres: Art, Nonfiction, Coffee Table Books, Nature, Gardening, Reference, Collections

608 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1980

About the author

Hans Walter Lack

Reviews

[Dorian Jandreau · Rating 5 out of 5]

Knygą gavau dovanų gimtadienio proga iš vienos labai geros širdies moters Facebook‘e. Tai nuostabių iliustracijų pilna knyga, kurią vartant galima gėrėtis gėlių įvairove. Skaityti beveik nėra ko šioje knygoje, nes čia esmė yra iliustracijos. O jos ne šiaip iliustracijos, o vintažinės. Knygoje viskas parašyta trimis kalbomis: anglų, vokiečių ir prancūzų.

Norėjau šitos knygos, nes norėčiau grįžti vėl prie piešimo ir šį kartą pasimokyti piešti augalus. Tad įkvėpimo ši knyga man duoda, svarbu tik prikalbinti mūzą padėti įgyvendinti svajones. Taip pat ši knyga man praverčia skrebinime. (Oi ne, nekarpyti knygos. Jokiu būdu) Kadangi darau savo skrebinimo knygas apie augalus su aprašymais ir jų auginimo subtilybėmis, ši knyga man padeda rasti dar neaprašytas augalų rūšis savo knygose.

Grožėtis šia knyga galiu be proto. Net laikau lovoje šalia pagalvės, kad ryte galėčiau pasigrožėti paveiksliukais. Rekomenduoju ją įsigyti visiems, kas myli meną ir gėles. Šioje knygoje abu dalykai susilieja į vieną.

[Grace B. · Rating 5 out of 5]

If you're starved for beauty, pick this book up. It fills your heart and soul with so gentle and realistic, you can almost feel their fragrance through the pages. Lovely to look at, even if you won't use this book for art reference. I believe everyone can enjoy it.

[Silvia Eduardo · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Book of Flowers es un libro para leer despacio, casi como quien pasea por un jardín antiguo. Pierre-Joseph Redouté no solo ilustra flores: las observa con una delicadeza infinita y las transforma en pequeños retratos llenos de luz, precisión y poesía.

Cada página transmite respeto por la naturaleza y un amor profundo por el detalle. Las flores parecen vivas, frescas, como recién cortadas, y al mismo tiempo tienen una elegancia atemporal. Es fácil entender por qué Redouté fue el pintor favorito de reinas y emperatrices.

Esta edición es ideal tanto para amantes del arte como para quienes buscan un libro bello al que volver una y otra vez. No es solo un libro de botánica: es una celebración silenciosa de la belleza, la paciencia y la observación.

Un auténtico placer visual y un libro que invita a detenerse.

[Leo Sevilla · Rating 5 out of 5]

The book is so beautiful and the pages of wonderfully colored flowers makes the purchase of this book so worth it. I’ve come to often use this book as reference for doing flowers on art. Apart from the Roses section, the section of the most beautiful flowers are all so varied and diverse it made you wish Redouté could have done more on other plants all over the world.

[Cory · Rating 5 out of 5]

The size of school text book, about 600 pages, and weighs 10 pounds easy. Not much text (but it’s all in 3 languages... English, French, German), but an amazing collection of flower portraits. Very inspiring, which is what I was looking for.

[Eva · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a huge collection of Redouté's botanical prints on good quality paper, ideal for fans of his work like myself. The English translation of the German text is clunky but that's not why one buys this kind of books.

[MarionBouquine · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ce beau livre est incroyable.
Les aquarelles de Redouté sont sublimes, le livre en lui-même est un superbe objet.

Je prends beaucoup de plaisir à le prendre régulièrement entre les mains pour le feuilleter.

[Noshin · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is such an extensive collection of flowers hand-painted and stippled in ink by Pierre-Joseph Redouté. I love how vibrant the images all are, and the size is perfect for looking at all the details. Definitely going to return to this for botanical drawing.

[Victoria Carter · Rating 5 out of 5]

Absolutely gorgeous drawings.

[Riza Kantirakis · Rating 5 out of 5]

My favorite current resource for flower art references!

[Matimiau · Rating 5 out of 5]

If you love flowers I highly recommend this book

[Mara · Rating 5 out of 5]

Un buen resumen de la vida y la obra de Redouté. Un lujo ver las reproducciones de sus láminas botánicas. El índice de las flores que puedes encontrar me parece muy útil.

[Zhijing Jin · Rating 5 out of 5]

Beautiful!

[Lecturasxoxo · Rating 5 out of 5]

las flores más bonitas k me han regalao nunca

[Silvia Stoyanova · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very interesting and easy to read book.

[Israel D. · Rating 5 out of 5]

A veces un chico solo necesita sentarse a ver flores