Cherry Tree (*Cerasus*) / Ceriser de Villennes - Original engraving by Pierre-Joseph Redouté (c.1801-1819)

This refined botanical engraving by Pierre-Joseph Redouté depicts a cultivated cherry variety with a measured clarity that reflects the highest standards of early nineteenth-century botanical illustration.

The plate presents a fruiting branch with a calm, balanced structure, allowing foliage and fruit to coexist without visual dominance. Redouté’s restrained approach transforms a familiar orchard subject into a composition of lasting elegance and legibility.

Created during the period often regarded as the golden age of botanical art, this engraving exemplifies the careful documentation of cultivated fruit trees at a time when horticulture and visual culture were closely intertwined.

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Visual and Aesthetic Analysis

The composition is built around a gently inclined branch, from which leaves extend in a relaxed, natural rhythm. Unlike more compact arrangements, the foliage here opens outward, creating a sense of air and spatial depth across the plate.

A modest cluster of cherries hangs freely beneath the leaves, forming a discreet chromatic accent rather than a dominant focal point. The saturated reds are softened by surrounding greens and ample negative space, while fine engraved lines and controlled hand-colouring preserve clarity of vein structure and leaf serration, resulting in a composition that feels balanced and quietly expressive.

About the Subject

This plate documents the “Cerisier de Villennes”, presented simply as a fruiting branch (“un rameau… avec des fruits”). The emphasis on the mature fruit and surrounding foliage reflects a descriptive approach focused on varietal character and cultivation, rather than analytical dissection, offering a visual record of the cherry as encountered within the orchard landscape.

Condition Report

The engraving is in very good condition, printed on period paper with a clean and stable surface. Light, even age-related toning is present, consistent with works of this age. The impression remains clear and well-defined, with margins preserved and no significant restorations observed. The original engraved credits are present and legible, including “P. J. Redouté pinx.” and “Lemaire sculp.”

Details

• Artist: Pierre-Joseph Redouté
• Work / Publication: Arbres et Arbustes
• Period: c. 1801–1819
• Technique: Original hand-colored copper engraving
• Sheet size: approx. 40 × 25 cm

For further context on Pierre-Joseph Redouté and his contribution to botanical illustration, see our editorial feature:

Pierre-Joseph Redouté: Floral Art in the Service of Science