“Draughtsman, painter, etcher and gardener. Born Heidelberg 1708, died London 1770. One of the finest botanical artists of his generation. Son of market gardener at Heidelburg. Trained as a gardener but took up botanical draughtsmanship at the age of 22. While working for a chemist in Regensburg, he met in c.1731-2 Dr Christoph Jacob Trew, a wealthy physician and bibliophile who became his lifelong patron and friend. He came to England in 1736 with letters of introduction, and worked for Peter Collinson, Philip Miller (greatest gardener of the day and author of ‘Dictionary of Gardening’) and Sir Hans Sloane. Dr Richard Mead and the Duchess of Portland were also patrons of his. His most famous publication appeared in 1748: 'Plantae et Papiliones Rariores’ (both engraved and hand-coloured by himself). Became director of the botanical garden in Oxford in 1750. Remained and died in England.”
“A painter, engraver, sculptor, decorator, as well as an illustrator for Vogue and Harper’s Bazaar, Boutet de Monvel was one of the most celebrated portraitists of his day, as well as a master of Art Deco and American Precisionism.His models included Prince Sixte de Bourbon-Parme, William Kissan Vanderbilt, Lady Plunkett, Frick, Whitney and Astor. With his unrivalled aesthetic sense, he featured them in a style close to hyperrealism, with a heightened attention for detail and technical perfection.He was described as “the handsomest man in Europe” by the American press. He turned beauty into a lifestyle, seeking perfection from his servants’ uniforms to his young daughter’s fringe of hair. He influenced a numerous artists after him, ranging from Andy Warhol to Robert Mapplethorpe.”
Sample Works:
1. Self-portrait, Place Vendôme
2. H.H. The Maharajah of Indore
3. H.H. The Maharani of Indore
4. Millicent Rogers in Charles James
5. Delfina Boutet de Monvel wearing an ensemble by Pierre Piguet
6. Portrait de Georges Menier
7. May Schneider, Duchesse de Brissac
8. H.H. The Maharani of Indore
9. Lady Plunkett (Aileen Guinness) in a gown by Cristóbal Balenciaga
