Pierre-Joseph Redouté | Choix des plus belles fleurs, 36 original parts, 1827 [-1833]

Pierre-Joseph Redouté

Choix des plus belles fleurs. Paris: Chez l'auteur, C.L.F. Panckoucke, Bossange père, Treuttel et Wurtz, Dufart, Arthus-Bertrand, Imprimerie de C.L.F. Panckoucke, 1827 [-1833]

FIRST EDITION, LARGE PAPER COPY, 36 original parts, folio (505 x 335mm.), 144 stipple-engraved plates, printed in colours and finished by hand, original wrappers, EDGES UNCUT, preserved in a red morocco clamshell case by Riviere, occasional light scattered foxing, part 18 plates toned, part 22 slightly frayed and browned at edge, a few wrappers with fraying

AN EXTRAORDINARY COPY OF REDOUTÉ’S MOST DECORATIVE WORK; LARGE PAPER, WITH DECKLE EDGES AND IN THE ORIGINAL PARTS.

The splendid flower plates include several bouquet arrangements and five of Redouté's six camellia plates. Dunthorne describes the sixteen fruit plates as “among the most beautiful of all fruit prints. Plates of greengages, plums, peaches, ladyfinger grapes, raspberries, strawberries, apples, pears and apricots are portrayed so perfectly in the delicacy of the stippled modelling that an impression of a third dimension is created”.

Large-paper copies are a famous rarity. Hunt, Redoutéana notes “this is allegedly one of five copies on large paper, reported to have been finished by Redouté himself. However, there is reason to believe the initial number was larger than this” (p. 60).

LITERATURE:

Dunthorne 235; Great Flower Books, p. 72; Hunt, Redoutéana 21; Nissen BBI 1591; Stafleu TL2 8750