‎"REDOUTÉ, PIERRE-JOSEPH (+) CLAUDE-ANTOINE THORY.‎
‎Les Roses. Vol I (out of 3). - [THE MOST CELEBRATED OF ALL FLOWERBOOKS]‎

‎Paris, P. Dufart, 1828. Large8vo. In a very nice full morocco binding (Anker Kyster) with with five raised bands and gilt lettering to spine. Gilt frames to boards and top-edge gilt. Lower left corner of front board with small waterstain. With light occassional brownspotting, an overall nice and clean copy. 49 beautifully handcoloured engraved plates printed in colours and finished by hand by Chardin, Langlois, Lemaire and others after Redouté, with accompanying text.‎

Reference : 60272

‎First volume of the third edition, being the “most complete edition”, of arguably the most celebrated and reproduced of all flower books. The work proved to be not only outstanding in terms of its beauty but also for its scientific merits and is widely regarded as being one of the most successful examples of art employed in the service of science Redoute's ""stipple engravings printed in color command the admiration of both natural historians and artists. Working directly from the flowers, Redoute arranged his compositions to show all their significant aspects without the sacrifice of aesthetic value."" (Ray French). Thory cultivated his own collection of roses, and together with the Malmaison gardens he contributed the majority of the specimens illustrated in his collaborative work with Redoute. ""Redoute and Thory knew, described and figured almost all the important roses known in their day. Included were many of the key ancestors of our present-day roses. The plates in Les Roses have artistic value, both for the species and cultivars still surviving and for those that have disappeared"" (Gisele de la Roche, quoted in the introduction to the Antwerp facsimile edition of Les Roses, 1974-78). Redoute is widely considered the finest 19th century botanical illustrator, if not throughout history. Dunthorne 233 Great Flower Books p. 71 Hunt Redouteana 19 Nissen BBI 1599 Ray French 89 Stafleu & Cowan 8748‎