natural produce
Thomas Jefferys was an 18th-century British cartographer and geographer, engraver and publisher.
As the best in the business of map-making, Jefferys held the honorary title of "King George III's geographer". He is known for his detailed and large-scale maps of the districts and counties of Great Britain as well as North America, particularly Virginia (1776). He was the leading map supplier of his day, engraving and printing maps for government and other official bodies.
Thomas Jefferys was an 18th-century British cartographer and geographer, engraver and publisher.
As the best in the business of map-making, Jefferys held the honorary title of "King George III's geographer". He is known for his detailed and large-scale maps of the districts and counties of Great Britain as well as North America, particularly Virginia (1776). He was the leading map supplier of his day, engraving and printing maps for government and other official bodies.
Phillippe Starck is a French designer of interior and mass-produced consumer products.
Starck was educated at the École Nissim de Camondo in Paris, worked for Adidas before founding his first industrial design company, Starck Product, which he later renamed Ubik and went international. He worked with manufacturers in Italy including Driade, Alessi, Kartell, Dimmer in Austria, Vitra in Switzerland and Disform in Spain. He became known for a wide range of his designs, including interior design, architecture, home furnishings, furniture, boats and other vehicles.
Starck has designed residences, hotels, restaurants and other buildings in Tokyo, in Paris, in New York, in Mexico City and other world cities. He has designed the Xiaomi smartphone, the DIAL GPS tracking bracelet, and other technologies. In 2018, Stark collaborated with Axiom Space to design the interior of the International Space Station's habitation module, and a year later, he presented a chair design created with artificial intelligence.
Based on his principles of "democratic design," Starck focused specifically on creating designs for mass-market products rather than unique units. It is impossible to list all the products on which the tireless worker Phillippe Starck has worked and continues to work, the main goal of which is to improve the lives of as many people as possible, as far as possible.
Robert Henry Fernando Rippon was a British zoologist, entomologist and illustrator.
Rippon was a musician, but later became passionate about natural history. In the 1860s he made a collecting trip to Panama, New Grenada and South America, and around the same time his talent as a natural history artist developed.
In 1890, Rippon began work on a multi-volume work on the butterfly-birdwings Icones Ornithopterum. He wrote the text himself, drew, lithographed, and hand-colored the plates. The work, eventually published in 25 parts, became his "principal and almost all-purpose occupation" for nearly 20 years.
After Rippon's death, his vast collection was donated to the Natural History Museum. The insects alone numbered 105,760, including more than 21,000 butterflies and 17,000 moths.
Albert Einstein was a German-born theoretical physicist, widely acknowledged to be one of the greatest and most influential physicists of all time. Einstein is best known for developing the theory of relativity, but he also made important contributions to the development of the theory of quantum mechanics. Relativity and quantum mechanics are together the two pillars of modern physics. His mass–energy equivalence formula E = mc2, which arises from relativity theory, has been dubbed "the world's most famous equation". His work is also known for its influence on the philosophy of science. He received the 1921 Nobel Prize in Physics "for his services to theoretical physics, and especially for his discovery of the law of the photoelectric effect", a pivotal step in the development of quantum theory. His intellectual achievements and originality resulted in "Einstein" becoming synonymous with "genius".
Alexander Wilson was a Scottish-born American naturalist, ornithologist, illustrator, and poet.
Wilson emigrated from Scotland to America in 1794, spent several years teaching in Philadelphia and New Jersey, and then became interested in studying native birds. He traveled extensively in the American wilderness and captured and studied over 300 different birds, including several previously unknown. He made his own drawings and detailed descriptions, supported by reading scientific literature.
The results of his research were published under the title American Ornithology in eight volumes beginning in 1808. The ninth volume was published after his death in August 1813. One of the first subscribers was President Thomas Jefferson. Alexander Wilson was a member of the Society of Artists of the United States and the American Philosophical Society. The Wilson Ornithological Society is named in his honor, and a monument is erected in Abbey Close, Paisley. Several species of birds are named in his honor.
Pierre-Joseph Redouté was a French artist and botanist of Belgian origin, a royal painter and lithographer.
Redouté traveled extensively from his youth and carefully studied the pictorial art of various masters, but his main interest eventually became botanical illustration. He gained access to the Botanical Gardens in Paris and the botanical library. Over time, the talented Redouté became a very popular and successful painter of flowers and plants, publishing more and more albums.
In the 1790s, Redouté was internationally recognized as one of the most popular floral artists in the world. His depictions of plants are still as fresh as if they had just been painted. His album of watercolor illustrations, The Lilies, is one of the most expensive printed books in history.
Maria Sibylla Merian was a German-born naturalist and artist renowned for her contributions to entomology and botanical art. Born in Frankfurt am Main in 1647, Merian gained recognition for her detailed studies and illustrations of insects and plants, focusing on their life cycles and metamorphosis, which significantly advanced the field of entomology.
Maria Sibylla Merian's journey into the world of natural history began in her hometown of Frankfurt, where she started studying insects, particularly their metamorphosis. Her marriage to Johann Andreas Graff, an artist's apprentice, eventually took her to Nuremberg, where she continued her work and published her findings. Despite personal challenges, including an unhappy marriage, Merian's dedication to her studies remained unwavering.
A pivotal moment in Merian's life was her association with the Labadist community, where she delved deeper into her studies. Her time with the Labadists in Friesland allowed her to study a variety of species, further enriching her scientific endeavors. Merian's relentless pursuit of knowledge eventually led her to Amsterdam, a hub of scientific inquiry and trade, where she was exposed to a vast array of specimens from across the globe.
Maria Sibylla Merian's most ambitious expedition was to Suriname in South America, where she studied and documented the region's diverse flora and fauna. Her observations and illustrations from this expedition were groundbreaking, providing valuable insights into the natural world. Merian's works, including her detailed engravings and illustrations, not only captivate with their beauty but also serve as valuable scientific records. Her legacy is preserved in institutions like the National Museum of Women in the Arts, which houses some of her remarkable engravings.
Maria Sibylla Merian's life and work exemplify the profound impact of combining art and science, leaving an indelible mark on both fields. Her dedication to observing and documenting the natural world continues to inspire scientists and artists alike.
Christoph Jacob Trew was a German botanist.
He was originally a city solicitor, court physician, Count Palatine of the Holy Roman Empire, an advisor to the Margrave of Brandenburg-Ansbach. He also had an academic passion for botany. He was a member of the Royal Society of London, the Berlin Academy, and the Florentine Botanical Society. His interest in botany then led him to sponsor the publication of illustrated botanical books.
John James Audubon was a French-American ornithologist and painter, renowned for his groundbreaking illustrations of American birds. Born in 1785 in Les Cayes, Saint-Domingue (now Haiti), Audubon is remembered for his keen observation skills and innovative artistic techniques.
Audubon's most famous work, "The Birds of America," transformed the field of ornithology by presenting birds in lifelike poses and detailed backgrounds. Published between 1827 and 1838, it contained 435 hand-colored engravings, showcasing over 489 bird species. His unique approach to illustrating birds in their natural habitats was a departure from traditional methods, which often portrayed birds in rigid poses.
Audubon used a wire armature to position freshly-killed specimens, allowing him to depict birds with a sense of movement and vitality. This innovative technique was truly revolutionary and set him apart from his contemporaries. Additionally, Audubon's artistic skill and attention to detail made his illustrations highly sought after, with surviving copies of "The Birds of America" considered valuable collectibles today.
For art collectors and enthusiasts, Audubon's work continues to be a source of inspiration and admiration. His legacy endures through his contributions to ornithology and the art world, with museums and galleries showcasing his work. If you're interested in learning more about John James Audubon and his famous illustrations, consider subscribing to our newsletter for updates on new product sales and auction events related to his work.
Pierre-Joseph Redouté was a French artist and botanist of Belgian origin, a royal painter and lithographer.
Redouté traveled extensively from his youth and carefully studied the pictorial art of various masters, but his main interest eventually became botanical illustration. He gained access to the Botanical Gardens in Paris and the botanical library. Over time, the talented Redouté became a very popular and successful painter of flowers and plants, publishing more and more albums.
In the 1790s, Redouté was internationally recognized as one of the most popular floral artists in the world. His depictions of plants are still as fresh as if they had just been painted. His album of watercolor illustrations, The Lilies, is one of the most expensive printed books in history.
Etienne-Pierre Ventenat was a French botanist, mycologist and writer.
Etienne-Pierre Ventenat was one of the greatest botanists in France. Empress Josephine Bonaparte hired him to describe and catalog rare plants at her castle of Malmaison. Josephine enlisted eminent botanists such as Claes and Blaikie to collect plants on a grand scale. Ventenat was commissioned to write the text of the work on the Malmaison collection, and the illustrations were created by the talented artist Pierre-Joseph Redoute, nicknamed the "Raphael of Flowers." As a result, a sumptuous book entitled Jardin de la Malmaison (The Garden of Malmaison) was published in 1803.
Albert Einstein was a German-born theoretical physicist, widely acknowledged to be one of the greatest and most influential physicists of all time. Einstein is best known for developing the theory of relativity, but he also made important contributions to the development of the theory of quantum mechanics. Relativity and quantum mechanics are together the two pillars of modern physics. His mass–energy equivalence formula E = mc2, which arises from relativity theory, has been dubbed "the world's most famous equation". His work is also known for its influence on the philosophy of science. He received the 1921 Nobel Prize in Physics "for his services to theoretical physics, and especially for his discovery of the law of the photoelectric effect", a pivotal step in the development of quantum theory. His intellectual achievements and originality resulted in "Einstein" becoming synonymous with "genius".
William Henry Edwards was an American amateur naturalist, entomologist, and businessman.
Edwards was a pioneer in the West Virginia coal industry, opening some of the earliest mines in the southern part of the state. He was also an accomplished naturalist and widely recognized as an authority on North American butterflies. As a businessman, he was involved in the coal industry, but the study of butterflies remained his passion.
During his lifetime he published some 250 scientific papers on scales, including a three-volume treatise, Butterflies of North America, which is highly regarded for its scholarship and the quality of its illustrations. Edwards paid great attention to the life stages of the insects in question, describing each stage in detail. The illustrations, on the other hand, were drawn by Mary Pirt, a talented Pennsylvania artist, and hand-colored by Lydia Brown.