Corn Lily

By Pierre-Joseph Redouté

Enhance your collection with the unique charm of a rare botanical print illustrating Ixia Secunda (One-Sided Corn Lily / Ixia Unilatérale) from the Golden Age of Botanical Art. Drawn by Pierre-Joseph Redouté and published in his definitive imperial masterpiece, Les Liliacées (1802–1816), this plate features unique asymmetric design in which Redouté describes the unusual one-sided distribution of blossoms on the stem, along with a depiction of the plant's corm and roots at the bottom.

Commissioned by Empress Joséphine Bonaparte to document the exotic plant life from South Africa thriving at her Malmaison gardens, this rare print combines intricate botanical illustration with the Romantic style of French art. The exclusive technique of stipple engraving, invented by Redouté, features millions of small ink dots to create smooth gradients of colors. This unique print beautifully depicts the subtle color nuances of the star-shaped blossoms against the pure and clear background.