Pierre-Joseph Redouté (1759-1840), was a painter and botanist from Belgium, known for his watercolours of roses, lilies and other flowers from the gardens of the Chateau de Malmaison, home of Empress Josephine.  His patrons included Marie-Antoinette, both of Napoleon’s Empresses and the wife of King Louis-Philippe.  Many of his paintings were published as large, hand-colour stipple engravings, and he was nicknamed ‘the Raphael of flowers’. Today Redouté is recognised as one of the greatest flower painters of all time.

His most notable printed works are: Les Liliacees, 1802-16; Jardin de la Malmaison,1803; Les Roses, 1817-24; Choix des plus belles fleurs, 1827.