Masdevallias Courtauldiana and Geleniana

by Henry Frederick Conrad Sander

Step into the colourful world of Victorian botany with this striking pair of orchids, Masdevallia Courtauldiana and Masdevallia Geleniana. Taken from the monumental work Reichenbachia by the renowned botanical artist Henry Frederick Conrad Sander, the image celebrates the intriguing shape of the fused sepals and the long "tails" that characterise this Andean orchid.

Most Victorian prints depicted the ruffled forms common in the period, but Sander decided to focus on the geometric, almost avant-garde shapes of these two hybrids. The rich tones of the Courtauldiana, with its rose hues, complement the sunset tones of the Geleniana, creating a balanced composition that is surprisingly modern for the 1880s.