Botanical Illustration: A Brief History
Renderings of botanical subjects date back to ancient times with identifiable plants appearing in Egyptian tombs, on Greek vases, and in Roman mosaics. In early medieval times collections of plant drawings called herbariums appeared. These collections of woodcuts were used to catalog plants of medicinal interest. Live plants were seldom used as subjects, and in fact, many of the woodcuts were redrawn from earlier works. To modern eyes the drawings appear stiff, and accuracy is often approximate at best, although some are quite charming.
With the coming of the Renaissance, an interest in naturalism resulted in an emphasis in drawing from life, and the intimacy of the subject and a greater accuracy were seen. Examples are the herbals of Brunfels and Fuchs. Although by no means primarily botanical artists, Leonardo da Vinci (1452 ñ 1519) and Albrecht Durer (1471 ñ 1528) produced extraordinary drawings of plant subjects. This period also saw the advances of gardens from plots of vegetables and herbs to elaborate outdoor collections of plants and architecture. Collections of exotic and native plants became an aristocratic pursuit. Beautiful herbariums appeared celebrating and cataloging these collections. Most were etchings and watercolors and include works by Daniel Rabel (1578 ñ 1637), Nicholas Robert (1614-85) and Claude Aubriet (1665 ñ 1742).
Enormous tours de force of realism were achieved by Dutch painters such as Jan van Huysum (1682 ñ 1749), where droplets of water and startlingly lifelike insects were seen. Dutch traditions included enormous bouquets, i.e. Simon Verelist (1644 ñ 1721), and miniature close-up landscapes such as tufts of grass and nearby flowers, i.e. Laureus van der Vinne (1737). Not surprisingly, there were whole collections devoted only to tulips, i.e. Jacob Marrell (1814 ñ 81). His stepdaughter, Maria Sybille Merian (1647 ñ 1717), was famous for insects as well as flowers. (Note: The U.S. Post Office recently issued a stamp featuring the artwork of this famous painter)
George Ehret (1708 ñ 70) was born in Germany but later lived in England. He painted beautiful watercolors and had a developed knowledge of botany. He met Linnaeus and benefited from the scientific advances of his day, using a microscope as an example, to further understand his subjects.
The most famous botanical illustrator was Pierre-Joseph RedoutÈ, who worked in watercolor. Early in his career, he collaborated with a famous botanist, Charles Louis LíHeritier, at the Jardin du Roi and later was commissioned by Josephine Boneparte to create exquisite folios of her far ranging plant collections at Malmaison. His most famous works include ìJardin de Malmaison,î ìLes Liliaceesî and ìLes Roses.î
Rather than plant collections coming to them, botanical illustrators and naturalists in the nineteenth century traveled themselves to far away countries, often-accompanying naturalists and botanists to document the native plants. Traveling at this time was adventurous, and the often painted under difficult conditions. Ferdinand Bauer (1760) and Walter Fitch (1817 ñ 92) are examples of this tradition. Not only were they drawing from life, they were truly in the field, studying plants in their native settings.
The history of botanical illustration reflects the developments in art and science through the ages. Contemporary botanical illustration draws from these traditions and innovations. Current media include watercolor, pen and ink, graphite (pencil), gouache, and less commonly, acrylic and oil.