Dragon arum flower and tortoiseshell butterfly

Executed in watercolour, the drawing employs fine brushwork to capture subtle textures: the mottled surface of the stem, the delicate veins of the leaves, and the fine scales of the butterfly’s wings. The palette is restrained, relying on natural hues to convey form and light. There is no background or contextual framing, focusing attention entirely on the organisms themselves, a hallmark of scientific illustration from this era.

The drawing is part of an album of fifty-nine botanical studies acquired by the Victoria and Albert Museum in 1856. Attributed to Jacques Le Moyne de Morgues, the collection was likely compiled during or shortly after his time in Florida and South Carolina. Its survival and preservation reflect its value as a record of New World flora observed by European artists in the late Renaissance.

Created during a period of expanding European exploration, the work aligns with a broader revival in botanical illustration driven by both scientific curiosity and the rise of herbaria. Similar studies by contemporaries in Germany, the Netherlands, and Italy reveal a shared commitment to documenting plant life with fidelity. Le Moyne’s drawings contribute to this transnational effort, bridging exploration and empirical observation.

The album remains a significant example of early natural history illustration, valued for its unembellished depiction of species unfamiliar to European audiences. While not widely published in its time, its survival in institutional collections has ensured its role in understanding how Renaissance artists engaged with the natural world—not as ornament, but as subject of careful study.