Narcissus calathinus
1809
watercolor
From the collection of National Gallery of Art
1809
watercolor
From the collection of National Gallery of Art
Redouté painted a single Narcissus calathinus bulb in watercolor and graphite. Its petals glow pure white with thin red edges, like fresh snow touched by frost. You can see every vein in the leaves—he used a magnifying lens to capture fine details. This is one of 2,142 flower plates Redouté made for Empress Joséphine. She loved plants and hired him to document her garden at Malmaison. He layered up to 30 translucent glazes to build rich color without lifting his brush. See more of his exacting work at the National Gallery of Art, Washington.
