Magnificent Books, Manuscripts and Drawings from the Collection of Frederick 2nd Lord Hesketh

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Lot 68
  • 68

Pierre-Joseph Redouté

Estimate
35,000 - 45,000 GBP
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Description

  • Pierre-Joseph Redouté
  • Rosa indica stelligera;Rosa pomponia flore subsimplici

  • Both watercolour over pencil on vellum a) on vellum prepared white b) with touches of gum arabic;
    each signed in brown ink, lower left: P.J. Redouté. 
    a) with faint numbering in pencil, lower right: 6;
    the mount inscribed in gold: Rosa Indica Stelligera. and bears numbering in pencil, lower right: 136

    b) the mount inscribed in gold: Rosa Pomponia flore subsimplici. and bears faint numbering in pencil, lower right: 131

Literature

P.-J. Redouté and C.-A. Thory, Les Roses, Paris 1817-24:
a) vol. III, pp. 41-42, engraved by Chapuy;
b) vol. II, pp. 57-8, engraved by Chapuy

Condition

a) A very tiny hole to the right of the centre of the upper margin, barely visible. A tiny fox mark, to the right of the leaf at the centre right. There is a very slight discolouration at the margins of the sheet, from where the vellum has been laid down, but otherwise the sheet is clear, and watercolour strong and fresh.; b) Laid down at edges to mount. A slight shadow at the edges from the glue on the verso. There are some very pale yellow spots above the lower right corner. Otherwise the sheet is clear and in excellent condition, the watercolour strong and fresh.
"In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective, qualified opinion. Prospective buyers should also refer to any Important Notices regarding this sale, which are printed in the Sale Catalogue.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF BUSINESS PRINTED IN THE SALE CATALOGUE."

Catalogue Note

Rosa indica stelligera had two features that were typical of the China hybrids imported into Europe in the 1800s and 1810s: its unusually slender and elegant stems, and the white flashes at the base of its petals. The rose's modern name is Rosa 'Bengale Étoilé', although today it is lost to cultivation.

Redouté's colleague, Claude-Antoine Thory, regarded the Rosa Pomponia Flore Subsimplici as a single-flowered form of what we now know as 'Rose de Meaux'.  It was a weak grower and probably does not survive today, but was widely used in Redouté's time for breeding better garden roses.