The Orchid Paintings of Franz Bauer [Illustrated] [Hardcover]

Joyce Stewart (Author), William T. Stearn (Author), Franz Bauer (Illustrator)

Book Description

Publication Date: August 1, 1993

A contemporary of Redoute, Franz Bauer (1758-1840) has been considered by many experts to be the greatest of all botanical artists. Yet this book is the first to gather together and reproduce any collection of his work. Until now, with a few exceptions, his paintings of orchids and his many hundreds of studies of other plants, have lain hidden away in a few institutions, most notably the Natural History Museum in London and the University of Gottingen in Germany. Bauer was born in Austria, but lived and worked for fifty years at the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, where he was employed by Sir Joseph Banks as resident draughtsman. The Kew collection developed rapidly during this period and gave Bauer an unrivalled opportunity of studying new plants as they flowered for the first time. He became fascinated in particular by orchids and used his microscopic skill to explore and portray their detailed structure. Sixty-three superb colour reproductions of almost all his completed orchid paintings, including many beautiful enlargements of flowers, here exemplify his artistic genius. They represent European species as well as introductions from North America, Australia and the Tropics. The commentary on the history of the plant and its cultivation which accompanies each plate is by Joyce Stewart, the Sainsbury Orchid Fellow at Kew, who also provides a section on the structure and function of orchid flowers. The distinguished botanical historian, William T. Stearn, contributes a biography of Franz Bauer. For all those who love, grow or study orchids in gardens, greenhouses or the wild, as well as everyone who appreciates the best in botanical art, this is an exceptionally appealing book.

Editorial Reviews

Book Description

Franz Bauer (1758-1840), Kew's first resident artist, is considered by many to be the greatest of all botanical artists, yet his work is relatively unknown. This presentation includes a biographical essay by William T. Stearn & extensive commentary by Joyce Stewart on the plants illustrated.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 160 pages
• Publisher: Timber Press, Incorporated (August 1, 1993)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0881922439
• ISBN-13: 978-0881922431
• Product Dimensions: 11.2 x 8.4 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.8 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,910,121 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

15 of 16 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Simply Beauiful, July 14, 1999

By 

Angel Lee "Liocorno Amethyst Moonstone" (Cleveland, OH United States) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (HALL OF FAME REVIEWER)   

This review is from: The Orchid Paintings of Franz Bauer (Hardcover)

This is a wonderful book packed with over 50 full-color paintings of many orchid varieties. By examining the orchids closely you get to see their true beauty. This is a great reference tool for any orchid lover or botany student. The book starts out with a history of the artist himself. Then the structure & function of each class of orchid is examined. Detailed black & white paintings accompany this discussion. The orchid painting themselves are spectacular. Each section is shown in vivid detail. The Latin & common names as well as the orchid's distribution, history & a written description are located adjacent to the paintings. Some of my favorite paintings include the lady slipper, king orchid, golden donkey, & marsh helleborine. I intend to purchase another copy of the book, so I can cut out the artwork & frame it for decoration.