The Cleveland Museum of Art

Collection Online as of March 28, 2024

The Roses: China or Bengal Rose

The Roses: China or Bengal Rose

1817–1824
(French, 1766–1853)

after Bessin

(French)
Sheet: 36.5 x 27.3 cm (14 3/8 x 10 3/4 in.); Platemark: 35.3 x 26.1 cm (13 7/8 x 10 1/4 in.)
Catalogue raisonné: Dunthorne 229.232
Location: not on view

Description

Hailed as the "Raphael of Flowers," Redouté achieved an international reputation for his botanical illustrations in watercolor, which were interpreted in the most refined techniques of stipple engraving and published in lavish portfolios. He was close friends with the empress Joséphine who, after marrying Napoléon Bonaparte in 1795, built an immense hothouse to shelter her magnificent collection of rare and exotic plants and opulent gardens at their country estate, Malmaison. Joséphine also spent vast sums to catalogue her floral collections and so commissioned Redouté to record her 250 different species of roses. Redouté employed a workshop of 18 printmakers to execute the plates, which were inked à la poupée (see glossary) and then retouched with watercolor.
  • Inventive Impressions: 18th- and 19-Century French Prints. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (August 26-October 28, 2001).
    The Cleveland Museum of Art; 8/26/01-10/28/01. "Inventive Impressions: 18th- and 19th-Century French Prints," no catalogue.
    Generous Donors: A Tribute to The Print Club of Cleveland. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (April 2-August 4, 1991).
    The Perennial Garden: 18th and 19th Century Botanical Prints. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (May 3-July 31, 1983).
    Flower Prints. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (May 7-June 6, 1965).
    Flower and Fruit Prints and Drawings. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (May 25-October 10, 1960).
  • {{cite web|title=The Roses: China or Bengal Rose|url=false|author=Henry Joseph Redouté, Bessin, Pierre-Joseph Redouté|year=1817–1824|access-date=28 March 2024|publisher=Cleveland Museum of Art}}

Source URL:

https://www.clevelandart.org/art/1943.138