Engravings by 18th-century painter Pierre-Joseph Redouté on exhibit
Detailed stippled engravings by Belgian painter Pierre-Joseph Redouté, a favorite of French Queen Marie-Antoinette and known for his detailed watercolors, will be displayed in the latest rare book exhibition at the Chicago Botanic Garden, 1000 Lake-Cook Road in Glencoe.
The exhibition, "Succulents: Featuring Redouté Masterpieces," runs Friday, Nov. 14, through Sunday, Feb. 8, 2015, in the Lenhardt Library in the Regenstein Center.
Redouté is considered one of the greatest botanical illustrators of all time. He learned his craft from his father and later moved to Paris to join his brother as an artist. Redouté's career flourished during the French Revolution, when he was appointed as an official court draftsman for Queen Marie-Antoinette.
It is said that the queen turned to growing succulents to brighten her spirits during her family's imprisonment, and she even summoned Redouté at midnight to paint the single-night blossom of her favorite cactus.
Years later, Empress Joséphine de Beauharnais Bonaparte became his patron. Under her sponsorship, Redouté grew more successful and completed masterpieces such as "Les Liliacées" and "Les Roses."
Featured in the "Succulents" exhibition are 17 individual engravings of a variety of succulent plants, including hens and chicks (Sempervivum tectorum) and Peruvian apple cactus (Cereus repandus).
Succulents are present throughout countless plant families around the world and can easily adapt to dry climates because of their capacity to store water in their leaves or stems. Succulents, such as cacti and aloe are easy to care for and recognize.
A free library talk on the exhibition will take place at 2 p.m. Sunday, Dec. 7.
"Succulents: Featuring Redouté Masterpieces" is supported by the Harriet Kay and Harold R. Burnstein Fund for Exhibits. For details, visit www.chicagobotanic.org/library/exhibits or call (847) 835-5440.
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