Botany.- Australia.- Redouté (P.J.).- Ventenat (Étienne Pierre) Jardin de la Malmaison, 2 vol., half-titles, 120 stipple-engraved plates by Redouté, printed in colour and finished by hand by J. B. Dien, P. F. Legrand, L. J. Allais, and others, tissue-guards, 2pp. table alphabetique and 1p. errata, ink gift inscription to 'Madame et Monsieur de Saint Paul' by E.A. Baracque to vol.1 half-title, contemporary redmorocco-backed cloth, spine gilt in compartments, a little rubbed, small scuffs to covers, [Dunthorne 255; Great Flower Books p. 79; Nissen BBI 2049; Stafleu & Cowan 16.007], folio, Paris, 1803-04[-05].

⁂ Redouté's finest botanical illustrations. This work celebrates Josephine Bonaparte's garden at Malmaison, considered to be one of the greatest collections of flora.

"The great opus of Redouté was now to come: the production of those sumptuous flower-books with colorplates of unsurpassed magnificence, 'Les Liliacées' and the 'Jardin de la Malmaison'… the cost of such works was so great as to have been prohibitive … an effective patronage was required. This patronage Redouté found in … Josephine de Beauharnais… Napoléon, still on his way to the stars, had married her in 1796 and two years later she acquired the charming property of Malmaison somewhat to northwest of Paris… Her artistic and horticultural interest predisposed her to be attracted to Redouté… In this way the garden at Malmaison… soon became unique of its great choice of exotic flowers from both the temperate and subtropical regions. The enthusiastic and splendor-loving Joséphine wanted to have her garden adequately described and the plants beautifully portrayed. Etienne-Pierre Ventenat (1757-1808)… was engaged to provide the descriptions Redouté was to be the artist… Napoléon, too, has an indirect role in this volume for Joséphine knew how to spend his money, and she spent it liberally." (Stafleu. Redouté- Peintre de Fleurs, pp.19-20).

The work also includes 18 new Australian plants.