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

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Lot 78
  • 78

Pierre-Joseph Redouté

Estimate
30,000 - 40,000 GBP
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Description

  • Pierre-Joseph Redouté
  • Rosa semper-virens globosa;Rosa montezuma

  • Both watercolour over pencil, on vellum a) within gold framing lines, b) with touches of gum arabic ;
    a) signed in gold, lower left: P.J. Redouté.;
    the mount inscribed in gold: Rosa Semper-Virens globosa. and numbered in pencil, lower right: 51;

    b) signed in brown ink, lower left: P.J. Redouté.;
    the mount inscribed in gold: Rosa montezuma. and bears numbering in pencil, lower right: 156

Literature

P.-J. Redouté and C.-A. Thory, Les Roses, Paris 1817-24:
a) vol. II, pp. 15-16, engraved by Chapuy;
b) vol. I, pp. 55-56, engraved by Langlois

Condition

a) Laid down on mount. The sheet is slightly yellowed in the upper right quarter, and is silghtly discoloured at the margins, where glued on the verso. Some slight light brown staining along the upper edge, to the right of the centre. The lower part of the sheet is clearer, and the watercolour is still strong and fresh. b) Laid down on mount. Slight discolouration at the edges of the sheet from where glued down. There is also some slight surface dirt at the lower part of the left margin. Three tiny pin-prick like spot dark stains near the lower right corner, another near the upper left. Otherwise the sheet is clear and the watercolour is in very good condition.
"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 Semper-Virens Globosa is a handsome wild rose, forming a dark evergreen thicket and scrambling up to five metres; a popular garden plant for many centuries, and the parent of such climbing roses as 'Adélaide d'Orléans'.  It is native to the Mediterranean basin and is today known more simply as Rosa sempervirens.

The scientist and explorer Alexander von Humboldt collected the Rosa Montezuma in Mexico in 1803, during his extraordinary five-year expedition to Latin America.  He named it after the last Aztec emperor; however, it turned out to be a dog rose, introduced by Spanish settlers in the 16th century and then naturalised.