Striped Fire Lily

By Pierre-Joseph Redouté

A remarkable example of classical botanical illustration in its purest form, this 19th-century stipple engraving by Pierre-Joseph Redouté is a rare image of the graceful Cyrtanthus Vittatus, (which has been traditionally renowned for its refined Striped Fire Lily appearance). Printed from one of the greatest botanical works in history, Redouté’s Les Liliacées (1802–1816), this print demonstrates the unsurpassed skills of Redouté in printing with colors using just one metal plate. Through the application of various colored inks on a single plate at the same time rather than combining several plates, he was able to create an incomparable level of softness and accuracy.

The composition highlights the graceful lines of the flower, as slender and delicate as those of its architecture. Star-shaped ivory flowers grow towards the apex, decorated by faint red lines inside. Following his strict principles of botanical science, Redouté depicts not only the flowers but also all other parts of this plant.