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Canterbury Bells (Campanula medium)
Redouté, Pierre Joseph, born 1759 - died 1840 - Enlarge image
Canterbury Bells (Campanula medium)
- Object:
Watercolour
- Place of origin:
Hammersmith (probably, painted)
- Date:
1787 (painted)
- Artist/Maker:
Redouté, Pierre Joseph, born 1759 - died 1840 (artist)
- Materials and Techniques:
Watercolour on vellum
- Credit Line:
Given by Lady Wilson and Miss Marjorie Lee
- Museum number:
E.91-1947
- Gallery location:
Prints & Drawings Study Room, level F, case TOPIC, shelf DP3
Redouté made this informal study while he was staying with the botanist James Lee (1715-95) at his home in Hammersmith, west London. He gave it to Lee as a gift in return for his hospitality. Most of Redouté's botanical illustrations were made for publication, but not this one. It shows the remarkable technical skill of his mature style. Redouté has exploited the characteristic transparency of the watercolour medium to convey the transparent wings of the dragonfly. He has taken advantage of the smooth, polished surface of the vellum to capture the delicate sheen of the petals.
Redouté was one of the greatest botanical artists of the 18th century. He produced many illustrations for botanical monographs and scientific publications. He also made decorative studies for books that were devoted to the beauty of garden flowers.
