Natural History as Art from Shapero Rare Books

From fauna we move to flora, and one of the most celebrated flower books ever published: Les Roses, by Pierre-Joseph Redouté. It was first published in three volumes, 1817-1824, folio in size. Redouté was a great artist, as well as political survivor. His talents earned him a job as an official artist to Queen Marie Antoinette. In time, not all went well for the Queen, but Redouté would resurface as an official artist to Empress Josephine, Napoleon's wife. After her death and the end of Napoleon's reign, circumstances would be a bit more demanding on the artist, yet he would establish good relations with the reestablished monarchy and then publish his book on roses to great admiration. His drawings were not based on artistic license, but accurate representation of what he saw. Fortunately, the flowers he drew were so beautiful no artistic license was needed to make these drawings great. Item 39. £175,000 (US $300,343).

Items 47-56 are ten screenprints created by Andy Warhol in 1983 as a result of his concern for animals and the environment. Naturally enough, a Warhol drawing is very different from those of the other artists in this catalogue. His style is more art, less science. Warhol picked out animals on the endangered species list to emphasize his concern for conservation. They range from an endangered butterfly to an endangered elephant. The series was initially exhibited at the Museum of Natural History in New York, bringing art and science together. The prints are priced from £40,000 to £75,000 ($68,637 - $128,695).

Shapero Rare Books may be reached at +44 207 493 0876 or rarebooks@shapero.com. Their website is www.shapero.com