Antique Prints, Maps, & Books of Natural History, Botanicals, & More
Lot 1037:
Description
This complete work was issued with 160 stipple engravings is Pierre Joseph Redoute’s
Les Roses. The work was published in Paris between 1824 and 1826 by Claude Antoine Thory. This is the second edition of the work overall, but in the first octavo size.
The work is in the original 40 fascicles with 4 engravings each all with original hand-coloring and housed in two stunning slipcases. The slipcases serve as the spines to the folders covered in modern long-grain red half-Morocco. The title, volume number, and author’s name are all gilt in rocaille design.
Pierre Joseph Redoute (1759-1840) was a French painter and botanist. Redoute’s name is synonymous with beauty and in the world of botanical art he is known as the best. Choix is often considered some of Redoute’s most desirable work, a culmination of his impressive skill and talent. He aimed to make the composition more appealing to the upper classes which created highly decorative engravings.
Redoute’s fame is due in large part to his diligent effort to perfect the use of stipple engraving. This labor intensive, and therefore expensive, technique creates subtle yet stunning variations of color making it superior to the engraving alone. Each plate was created using the ‘a la poupee’ process in which the color was applied before the printing. Hand-finished coloring was painstakingly applied after printing.
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.
The process of stipple engraving and color printing give the Redoute engravings their luminous quality. Stippling is an etching process that employs dots instead of lines to form the image, which is then color printed by applying colored inks directly to the copper plate for each impression. The use of colored inks, greens and browns to print the stems and leaves, and reds and pinks to print the flowers, create a more luminous print by eliminating the necessity to paint watercolor over a back inked image.
Paper Size: Shell Cases ~ 7 1/2" by 10 1/2"; Paper ~ 6 3/4" by 10"
Paper Type or Special Features: Two Slipcases with Original Wrappers and 160 Stipple Engravings of Roses (Collated & Complete)
Condition report:
The work is in very good to excellent condition overall. There is some pale foxing mainly in the text. Two text sheets and 1 plate and the back of the cover of issue 21 are eaten away a bit from insects with very slight damage to the letters of the plate. There may be a few minor imperfections or faint marks to be expected with age. Please review the image carefully for condition and contact us with any questions.
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