Pierre-Joseph Redouté’s Choix des plus belles fleurs, plate 107, presents the tuberose under the name “Tuberosa”, its white blossoms rising in a loose, elegant cluster above long green leaves. Created in 1827, the study is at once restrained and richly observed: open flowers reveal tiny yellow centres, while unopened buds at the upper right are touched with soft pink. Against the pale, unobtrusive ground, the plant assumes the self-contained presence of a portrait.

Redouté was among the defining figures of European botanical art in the late eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries. Often described as the “Raphael of flowers”, he united the descriptive demands of botanical illustration with an unusually refined sense of arrangement. This plate was made for Choix des plus belles fleurs, a publication whose title—“A selection of the most beautiful flowers”—captures its balance of natural history and aesthetic pleasure. Produced during a period of intense interest in plant classification, cultivation and collecting, Redouté’s studies allowed individual specimens to be appreciated both as botanical subjects and as compositions of line, colour and form.

A closer look

The composition grows upwards from the lower centre, where narrow, blade-like leaves form a firm green base. Their smooth, tapering contours provide a structural counterpoint to the more intricate blossoms above. Rather than arranging the flowers in a rigidly symmetrical display, Redouté varies their height and direction: some blooms turn outwards, others overlap, and the youngest buds remain closely furled. This subtle irregularity gives the specimen the appearance of active growth without sacrificing the clarity expected of a botanical plate.

The open flowers are predominantly creamy white, but they are far from uniform. Fine lines articulate the folded petals, while gentle tonal gradations distinguish one layer from another. Pale pink gathers most visibly around the tips and closed buds, becoming a delicate transition between the white corollas and fresh green stems. Small yellow stamens punctuate the centres of the mature flowers, minute accents that reward close attention and sharpen the botanical specificity of the study.

Redouté uses the largely vacant background with particular assurance. The surrounding space isolates every stem, bud and leaf, preventing the denser flower cluster from becoming confused. Depth is suggested sparingly through overlap and changes in tone rather than through a conventional landscape setting. At the bottom right, the lightly written word “Tuberosa” identifies the specimen without disturbing the composition’s airy balance.

Context and significance

Botanical illustration of this period occupied a productive space between science and decorative art. A successful plate needed to preserve recognisable structures—petal forms, centres, buds, foliage and patterns of growth—yet Redouté’s work also demonstrates how selection and placement could lend a plant grace and individuality. Here, the tuberose is not shown amid a garden or gathered into a bouquet. Removed from its setting, it can be examined as a living specimen while its ascending rhythm and restrained palette remain fully apparent.

The plate exemplifies Redouté’s gift for making precision appear effortless. Its appeal lies not in theatrical colour or elaborate surroundings, but in the measured progression from green leaves to white flowers and pink-tipped buds: a concise visual account of the plant at several stages of development.

Choosing the right size and finish

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The model in the listing images is holding the 18x24in (45x60cm) version of this art print.

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This artwork is also available as a float framed canvas, sometimes known as a shadow gap framed canvas or canvas floater. The work is printed on artist's cotton canvas and then stretched over a handmade box frame. We then "float" the canvas inside a wooden frame, which is available in a range of colours (black, dark brown, oak, antique gold and white). This is a wonderful way to present an art print without glazing in front. See some examples of float framed canvas art and explore the differences between my different finishes.