Pierre-Joseph REDOUTÉ (1759-1840). Euphorbia spinosa; Delphinicium pentagynum. Two gray washes over black pencil lines signed lower left (the first has a few stains and is missing lower right). Height 22 cm - Width 16.5 cm Note: preparatory drawings for engraving, respectively pl. 101 and 111 in the volume of plates from Flore Atlantica, Renato Desfontaines, Paris, Pancoucke, an VIII. Nicknamed the "painter of flowers" or "painter of queens". In the 1780s, he turned his attention to the growing discipline of botany. Indeed, a "Flower Salon" was born, and aristocratic ladies became "gardeners", learning botanical nomenclature. After a trip to London to study plants in the royal gardens, Pierre-Joseph Redouté was quickly introduced to Versailles, thanks to his highly precise and delicate technique, and became a protégé of Queen Marie-Antoinette. He received the title of draughtsman and painter to the Queen's Cabinet. He resisted the various political regimes and, from 1798, collaborated with the greatest botanists under the protectorate of Joséphine de Beauharnais, contributing to over fifty works as illustrator and editor. Expert appraisal by de BAYSER - 01 47 03 49 87 - France. info@debayser.com