A bouquet of flowers with yellow and white narcissus, a pink rose and auricula

Pierre-Joseph Redouté is perhaps the most celebrated flower painter of all time. He was described by 19th-century writers as the 'Raphael' of flowers. Born in Belgium, he studied the work of earlier Flemish and Dutch floral artists, and after moving to Paris he immersed himself in the study of botany. During his long career he worked for a succession of royal patrons: he was given special access to the gardens at Versailles by Marie-Antoinette and to those of Malmaison by the Empress Josephine.

Redouté brought the tradition of botanical painting to its apogee and was instrumental in shaping the taste of his time. For many years his exquisite style and technique completely dominated the genre. He also painted in oil and produced illustrations for more than fifty botanical books, yet his more sophisticated works are the carefully observed and delicate watercolors on vellum like the present one and the following lot.