Artwork
Les Liliacées: Tradescantia discolor
Les Liliacées: Tradescantia discolor is a print by the Romanticist artist Henry Joseph Redouté. It dates from 1809 and is held in the collection of the Cleveland Museum of Art.
About this work
Overview
Created in 1809 by the French botanical illustrator Henry Joseph Redouté, this print portrays the plant Tradescantia discolor, commonly known as a member of the lily family. The work is part of the collection of the Cleveland Museum of Art.
Subject & Meaning
The image focuses on a single specimen whose long, lance‑shaped leaves are green externally and display a deep violet hue on their inner surfaces. The leaves fan out in a layered arrangement, and a modest white flower with three petals rises from the centre, emphasizing the plant’s delicate structure.
Technique & Style
Redouté employs a restrained palette and fine line work to render the foliage and flower with clarity against an unadorned background. Subtle gradations of colour convey the leaf thickness and translucency, while the clean composition reflects the precision typical of early‑19th‑century botanical illustration.
History & Provenance
The print was produced during Redouté’s prolific period of botanical publishing in the Napoleonic era. It later entered the holdings of the Cleveland Museum of Art, where it remains accessible to scholars and visitors as an example of scientific art from the Romantic period.
Artist & collection
Artist
Henry Joseph Redouté (1766–1852) was a French artist, born in Saint-Hubert.
