Lassus after Aimé Bessin

Champignons, French antique mushroom chromolithograph, 1910

1910

'95 Pleurotus Cornucopiae 96 Pleurotus geogenius' Antique French mushroom / fungi chromolithograph. From "Atlas des champignons de France, Suisse et Belgique," an atlas of French, Swiss, and Belgian fungi, illustrated by chromolithographs from watercolours by the illustrator Aimé Bessin...

'237 Tremella mesenterica 238 Eiidia granulosa 239 Tremellodon gelatinosa 240 Guepinia rufa' Antique French mushroom / fungi chromolithograph. From "Atlas des champignons de France...

'37 Tricholoma saponaceum 38 Tricholoma terreum' Antique French mushroom / fungi chromolithograph. From "Atlas des champignons de France, Suisse et B...

'256 Marcella rotunda' Antique French mushroom / fungi chromolithograph. From "Atlas des champignons de France, Suisse et Belgique," an atlas of Fren...

'145. Cortinarius fulgens 146. Cortinarius semi-sanguines 147. Flammula sapinea' ' Antique French mushroom / fungi chromolithograph. From "Atlas des champignons de France, Suisse et Belgique," an atlas of French, Swiss, and Belgian fungi, illustrated by chromolithographs from watercolours by the illustrator Aimé Bessin...

'99. Collybia butyracea 100. Collybia fusipes' Antique French mushroom / fungi chromolithograph. From "Atlas des champignons de France, Suisse et Belgique," an atlas of French, Swi...

This is a colored aquatint and stipple engraving finished by hand entitled "Amicua Melon", drawn and engraved by George Brookshaw and published in London in 1812 as plate LXXII in hi...

This is a striking original antique colored botanical mezzotint and line double page engraving of banana plants, which is finished with hand-coloring. It is entitled "Banana 1. Musa,...

This early 19th century hand-colored stipple engraving by Augusta Innes Withers entitled "The Brabant Bellefleur Apple" was plate 10 published in London in the 'Transactions of the H...

This is a 17th century engraving of a fever or bonduc nut plant entitled "Ban Caretti" by Hendrik van Rheede tot Drakenstein, plate 20 from his 'Hortus Indi...

This is a 17th century engraving of a vine spinach plant entitled "Katu-Belluren" by Hendrik van Rheede tot Drakenstein, plate 46 from his 'Hortus Indicus M...

This hand colored stipple engraving entitled "Cactus Opuntia Polyanthos, Cierge Raquette Multiflore" by Pierre-Joseph Redouté, Plate 59 from his illustrated publication 'Plantarum Historia Succulentarum ou Histoire des Plantes Grasses', published in Paris in 1799. Redoute was a pioneer of the stipple engraving technique, which he used to create this image. It involves utilizing a series of small dots worked into a copper plate rather than the more common lines. These dots can be made smaller or thicker depending on the degree of opacity the artist intends for various areas of the print. When inked and applied to paper, this allows for a greater portion of the paper to be seen, which accentuates the appearance of luminosity of the subject the artist is creating. Different color inks are used in the printing process, a time consuming technique known as "a la poupee". The engraving is then finished with watercolor to further enhance the beauty and realism of the print subject. This engraving of a flowering cactus is presented in a double mat; white outer mat and heather green inner mat.The mat measures 20" x 16" and the sheet measures 19.5" x 13.38". There are wide margins with a few short tears and chips along the the right and upper edges, which are all covered by the mat. There are small spots predominantly in the margins, but a few are present in the image area, but the print is otherwise in very good condition. There is another Redoute flowering cactus listed on 1stdibs, LU117326854582. The pair would make an attractive display grouping. Pierre-Joseph Redouté (1759-1840), was a painter and botanist originally from Belgium, who pursued his extremely successful artistic career in France. He is well known for his watercolor paintings of roses, lilies and other flowers and their subsequent folio-sized, color stipple engravings. Some believe him to be the greatest botanical illustrator of all time. Redouté was a favorite of the French royal court at the time and of the post French...