REDOUTÉ: Celebrating Botanical Illustration

We invite you  learn about one of the most prolific botanical artists of the French 18th and early 19th Century Pierre-Joseph Redouté. Scroll down to also view our Flower Power Guide linking you to Exhibitions and Event showcasing floral Artworks.

Rosa Gallica Maheka, From: Les Roses

Pierre-Joseph Redouté

Redouté (1759-1840) is unquestionably the best-known botanical illustrator of any era. The decorative appeal of his original engravings has led to their modern reproduction, which in turn has popularized Redouté’s work in a way unique among botanical artists. Yet no reproduction can capture the great and subtle beauty of his original engravings from Les Roses, nor can any introductory paragraph fully describe his many achievements. These magnificent engravings demonstrate the full mastery of his abilities, as the forms of the roses are set off dramatically by Redouté’s masterful and rich modulations of tone and hue.

Iris Patensis From Redouté's other acclaimed series Les Liliacees

The regal simplicity of the compositions allows the viewer to focus without distraction on the beauty and delicate complexity of the plants themselves. Perhaps better than any other engravings that the artist ever made, these three images demonstrate the flawless and pristine French style of botanical art that Redouté pioneered and brought to a pinnacle of quality. The luminosity of stipple engraving, a technique perfected by Redouté, is particularly suited to the reproduction of botanical detail. The medium involved engraving a copper plate with a dense grid of dots that could be modulated to convey delicate gradations of color.

FLOWER POWER GUIDE

Various museums in San Francisco are showcasing amazing botanical artwork as an homage to the 50th anniversary of the Summer of Love, celebrating Flower Power as major themes of Peace, Love, and Community. We also added some exhibitions abroad for those traveler's this summer!  

Flower Exhibitions and Events:

Asian Art Museum

Floral Artwork of the Buddhist tradition

San Francisco Fall Antique Show

The largest west coat annual Antique show will host antique dealer, art galleries, and designers showcasing works with a floral themes in mind. 

Garden of Shakespeare's Flowers, Golden Gate Park
Flowers and plants played an important tool for Shakespeare's plays, here you can see many of those flowers he mentioned in his writing.
Musee de la Vie Romantique
Showcasing the works of Redouté  from his Roses to the Lillies
The Metropolitan Museum of Art
Look out for a future exhibition which will showcase our own collection of the Raphael of Flowers, Redouté!

For Inquiries Please Contact us at (415) 788-5115, or Visit us at 432 Jacskson St. San Francisc, Ca 94111. Aradersf.com

The Oakes Ames Orchid Watercolor Collection Exhibited at Filoli April 5th-June 12th

Charles Storer

Cypripedium Curtisii, 1898

Original Watercolor

13 7/8" x 9 7/8"

We are excited to announce our presence at Filoli's Annual Botanial Art Exhibition from April 5th-June 12th showcasing the gallery's fine original watercolor works from Oakes Ames' Orchid Collection.

Artist Reception

Thursday, April 7, 5:00 pm – 7:00 pm

For ticket and reservations: Click Here

Filoli is a "654–acre property, including the 36,000 square foot Georgian country house and spectacular 16–acre English Renaissance garden. Admission to Filoli allows visitors to explore the historic House and Garden at their leisure. The Filoli Botanical Art Exhibit has long been an essential part of our Botanical Art Program’s mission to interpret and preserve this historically significant art form. With its exquisite formal Garden, heirloom orchard and nature preserve, Filoli is a unique and fitting venue for this historical art form that has rendered plants throughout history and from around the world.  In the historic House a collection of botanical illustrations will be on display in the elegant Ballroom and select pieces will be displayed in the Trophy Room."

Orchids and Oakes Ames

Blanche Ames

Cypripedium Kimballianum, 1900

Original Watercolor

14" x 10"

The incredible Oakes Ames collection of watercolor orchids was gifted to the Massachusetts Horticultural Society by famed botanist Oakes Ames (1874 - 1950). Through his life’s work on the orchid family, he and his wife Blanche unveiled the mysteries of this strangely beautiful plant species to the rest of the world. These gorgeous and delicate watercolors were part of Ames’ personal collection of orchid paintings, featuring works by the botanist himself, his wife Blanche, Charles Storer, J.L. Macfarlane, Putzys, and several by unidentified artists.  As part of his exhaustive research on orchids, Ames made expeditions to Florida, the Caribbean, the Philippines, and Central and South America with his wife, creating scientific drawings and watercolors of each plant they cataloged. The Ames' work was published in the seven-volume Orchidicae: Illustrations and Studies of the Family Orchidicae. 

To purchase Ames' watercolors you see at Filoli  please call 415-788-5115. 
Arader Galleries, at 435 Jackson Street, San Francisco. 

Exciting Opportunity for Collectors - December 5

Historic Maps, Rare Books, Natural History Watercolors & Color Plate Books, New York-centric Art and American and European Oil Paintings all to be featured in Guernsey's December 5th Auction.

On December 5th, Guernsey's is honored to be conducting the sale of hundreds of treasures acquired over the last four decades by noted gallerist Graham Arader. Recognized internationally for his extraordinary collections, Mr. Arader is generously supporting several fine universities by turning auction proceeds into meaningful donations. Prospective buyers should note that the majority of auction lots will be sold either without minimum reserve or with reserves well below the amounts Mr. Arader purchased the items for over the years. Following a nearly week long preview (Nov. 30 - Dec. 4), the auction will be held live at Arader's beautiful Beaux Arts flagship gallery on New York City's Madison Avenue at 78th Street. Naturally, Guernsey's will be accommodating those unable to attend by making absentee bidding available via the Internet (liveauctioneers.com) and telephone. A massive, handsome auction catalogue (available from Guernsey's or Arader) thoroughly depicts and documents the extraordinary offerings.

Featured categories include eighty two of John James Audubon's stunning copper engravings of Birds and Quadrupeds. Many of the most sought after drawings, virtually all in uncut, pristine condition will be sold. Arguably the finest selection of historic maps and rare globes ever to come to auction will include the extremely rare hand-colored woodcut map of the Atlantic Ocean by Martin Waldseemüller, centerpiece of his groundbreaking 1513 atlas. The Natural History Section of the auction will contain sixty six lots of beautiful watercolors and color plate books including a magnificent collection of the books of John Gould, without question the most prolific ornithological artist of the 19th century. Fifty nine lots will be devoted to handsome watercolors and maps depicting early scenes of New York City. Auction lots include a 19th century landscape of Manhattan as seen from Hoboken, a wonderful Great Gatsby-era birds-eye view of Long Island's then-developing Gold Coast, and an extremely rare secret plan of the City created by a British officer on the eve of the Revolution. Additionally, there will be a fine offering of American and European paintings by such noted artists as Thomas Hill and George Henry Durrie.

Naturally, the items above represent only the smallest sampling from this extraordinary event. Interested collectors and those who appreciate amongst the rarest and most beautiful works ever created on paper are urged to contact Guernsey's for complete information.

You can download a complete catalog of all featured lots and estimates for this auction here: 

Download Arader Galleries/Guernsey Catalog (PDF, 6.62MB)

Season's Greetings from Arader Galleries

As the holiday season draws near, the quest to find the perfect gift begins!

Please stop by Arader Galleries throughout the holiday season to view our
impressive collection of original maps, engravings,
lithographs, and watercolors.

Hours:

Monday - Friday 10am - 6pm

Saturday 11am - 5pm

Holiday Hours:

December 24th (Christmas Eve) - 11am - 3pm

December 25th - Merry Christmas!

December 26th - Closed

December 31 - Closed

January 1st - Happy New Year!

January 2 - Closed

Early Streetcar Scene of San Francisco

Eduard Hildebrandt (1818 - 1869)
San Francisco Streetcars
c.1864
Paper size: 14 1/2 x 10 1/2 inches; 16” x 21” framed
Watercolor on Whatman paper
Signed lower right: E. Hildebrandt
Inscribed lower left: San Francisco

This lovely street scene depicts a view of San Francisco up California Street past Montgomery Street. There is a wonderful sense of one-point perspective in the picture plane with notable local landmarks on either side of the prominently featured road: the Parrott Building and St. Mary's are seen off to the right, to the left is Grace Church, and in the background is Nob Hill. A steam-powered trolley car divides the foreground from the background while a scene of barrels being unloaded exists in along the picture’s center.

Born in Danzig in 1818, Edward Hildebrandt came from a family of artists, his brother being the notable marine painter Trite Hildebrandt (1819 - 1855). An influential time in his career spanned the dates 1860 - 1862 when he went on a grand world tour. His stops included the Middle East, India, Singapore, Siam (Thailand), Macao, Hong Kong, China, The Philippines, Japan and the United States. Hildebrandt worked primarily with watercolors to document the sites that he saw which were then published in Berlin as chromolithographs in 1864. Hildebrandt’s original watercolors were exhibited twice in the later years of his life: in London in 1866 and at an exhibition at the Crystal Palace in 1868, just a year prior to his death in Berlin. For more information on this fascinating watercolor, please call Arader Galleries at 415.788.5115, or visit our San Francisco location at 435 Jackston Street.

Arader Galleries is also pleased to present our new catalog, California, celebrating the rich history of Northern California, from the time of exploration, to the advances in photography that captured the beauty of the area, and including the birds and mammals that are native to Northern Calfornia. Please contact contact Arader Galleries San Francisco location to request a copy.

Exquisite Japanese Watercolors of a Rooster, Hen and Chicks

These two exquisitely detailed Japanese watercolors of a rooster, hen and chicks were most likely created in the 19th century.

Japanese long-tailed fowl have been breed by the Japanese aristocracy for over 350 years. Depictions of these Japanese roosters began to appear in Japanese art in the 1630s, near the time when Japan closed its ports to outside trade. It is suggested that these roosters were brought to Japan by Dutch traders from Java, which was a Dutch colony, as depictions of long-tailed roosters appear in Dutch art of the same era. Breeding these exotic fowl is a hobby for many today.

The symbol of the rooster has some significance in Japanese culture. The use of animal symbol as part of the zodiac, which originated in China, was adopted in Japan in 604. The Asian zodiac is divided into 12 years, each named after an animal: the rat, ox, tiger, rabbit, dragon, snake, horse, sheep, monkey, rooster, dog and boar. People that are born in the same animal year are said to share similar traits. Those born during the year of the rooster are said to be profound thinkers and devoted to their work.

These wonderful watercolors are currently on view at the 435 Jackson St., San Francisco location of Arader Galleries. Please call 415.788.5115 for any additional questions you may have.

Beautiful Chinese Watercolors by Tingqua and his Studio

Whampoa Anchorage with American, British and Danish Shipping

View of Hong Kong Island

Macao from the North

Boca Tigris on the Pearl River

The studio of the artist Tingqua was perhaps the most prolific source of Chinese export painting during the nineteenth century. Located at 16 China Street, Guangzhou, the school specialized in gouache and watercolor paintings influenced by Western artistic traditions. These works became known in America primarily through the American China trader Augustine Heard, who brought a substantial collection of Tingqua paintings back to the United States in ca. 1855. These are now located at the Peabody Museum in Salem, Massachusetts.

Tingqua was from a family of Chinese artists, each of whom were recognized for there skills in painting scenes suitable for the export market. His father, Guan Zuolin, often known by his western name, Spoilum, was the first identifiable artist of the Cantonese export school. These exquisite little views absolutely typify Tingqua’s style and technique. All four works display the Tingqua denotation of the sea by regular parallel lines, sometimes with ripples in the foreground. Moreover, his characteristic mannerism of representing trees as thick clusters of yellow-green leaves is amply demonstrated in his paintings of the Canton Waterfront with the U.S. Steamer “Spark” and Whampoa Anchorage with American, British and Danish Shipping. These watercolors also illustrate the diversity of countries trading in China, particularly in the former work, with the flags of the American, British, French and Danish nations displayed prominently along the skyline.

Above all, Tingqua’s work is perhaps most recognized for its exquisite characterization of daily life and for its exceptional detail. The precision of the brushwork and concentration upon light effects is superb, and in each scene the importance of world trade with China is beautifully displayed.

These stunning watercolors are currently on display at Arader Galleries' 432 Jackson Street location in San Francisco. Please visit www.aradersf.com or call 415.788.5115 for more information.

The Lords of the Samurai exhibition at The Asian Art Museum

Japanese Watercolors of Irises from the Collection of Arader Galleries

The Lords of the Samurai is an exhibition not to be missed at the Asian Art Museum in San Francisco. This fascinating exhibition takes an intimate look at the daimyo, or provincial lords of the warrior class in feudal Japan. More than just professional warriors, Japanese samurai of the highest rank were also visionaries who strove to master artistic, cultural, and spiritual pursuits.

The exhibition features more than 160 works from the Hosokawa family collection housed in the Eisei-Bunko Museum in Tokyo, and from Kumamoto Castle and the Kumamoto Municipal Museum in Kyushu. Objects on view include suits of armor, armaments (including swords and guns), formal attire, calligraphy, paintings, tea wares, lacquerware, masks, and musical instruments.

The Arader Galleries team was particularly interested to see a beautiful album of Japanese watercolors of irises in the exhibition. In fact, we have recently received for inventory a set of delicately rendered 19th century Japanese watercolors very similar to the iris watercolors in this exhibition! The iris is a symbol of high importance in Japanese culture, and during the Edo period in Japan there was a renaissance of iris cultivation.

Please stop by the 435 Jackson Street location of Arader Galleries in San Francisco to see these extraordinary watercolors, or call us at 415.788.5115 to request a copy of our “The Japanese Iris” catalog.

Also, this is your last chance to see The Lords of Samurai at the Asian Art Museum, the exhibition closes on September 20th!

A Distribution of Watercolors by Pierre-Joseph Redoute

Plate 170 - Stoloniferous Golden Winter-Star
Original watercolor on vellum for Les Liliacées

Art is commonly understood to denote skill used to produce aesthetic result. Applying this definition to the work of Pierre-Joseph Redoute, reveals an artist who has produced the highest quality of art. Indeed, Redoute’s Les Liliacees displays his mastery of both technical and artistic skill. Les Liliacees challenges limitation and delicately captures the infinite beauty of nature.

Les Liliacees was Redoute’s largest and most ambitious work, for he carefully recorded the anatomical details of blossom and bulb that allow a scientist to classify the plant according to the Linnean System. Produced under the patronage of Empress Josephine at Malmaison, these watercolors have been legendary for over 200 years.

Arader Galleries is pleased to invite you to join us on Saturday, April 25th, 2009 at 1:00 p.m. in New York City at our 1016 Madison Avenue gallery for the distribution of 100 of the original watercolors on vellum. Painted by Pierre-Joseph Redoute for the Empress Josephine between 1802 and 1814, these 100 watercolors are from his iconic masterpiece Les Liliacees. 50 shares are available and each share will contain 2 watercolors.

Arader Galleries San Francisco currently has a selection of Redoute watercolors available for viewing that will be included in the syndication. The exquisiteness of these watercolors cannot be represented in a photograph and must be viewed in person! We would be happy to bring these watercolors to your home should a visit to the gallery not be convenient for you.

Don’t miss this opportunity to own an original watercolor by the artist considered to be the greatest flower painter! For more information, or to reserve your share in the syndication, please call Arader Galleries at 415.788.5115.

Exquisite Botanical Watercolors by Le Moyne

Jean Jacques Le Moyne is known as the most prominent Huguenot artist in history. Emerging as a court artist in France under Charles IX, Le Moyne was appointed artist and cartographer for the 1562 Huguenot expedition to the New World led by Jean Ribault. While exploring present day Florida and South Carolina with the French Protestant settlers, Le Moyne collected specimens of various flora and fauna which he observed and studied and later turned into beautiful paintings.

His watercolors on vellum were most likely produced from 1568-1572, when he returned from the New World expedition and worked in France before immigrating to England . Though his landscape paintings of the New World were quite popular, his botanicals are considered to be his finest achievement as he was well known in both England and France for his remarkable illustrations. These exquisite watercolors can be seen in our extraordinary paintings annex gallery in San Francisco.