Pierre Joseph Redouté’s Choix des plus belles fleurs, plate 054, published in 1827, presents the giant filbert (Corylus maxima) as a richly observed arrangement of foliage and fruit. A slender branch rises diagonally through the composition, carrying broad green leaves and clusters of rounded, orange-brown nuts enclosed by fresh green bracts. Set against a pale, unoccupied ground, the specimen appears at once scientifically legible and carefully composed: asymmetrical, spacious and animated by the varied turn of each leaf.

The plate belongs to Redouté’s Choix des plus belles fleurs—a title meaning “selection of the most beautiful flowers”—one of the botanical projects through which he brought remarkable refinement to plant illustration. Working in the late eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries, Redouté became celebrated for combining close botanical observation with an elegant sense of arrangement. His subjects retain the information needed to examine their structures, yet they are never reduced to diagrams. Here, the filbert is treated not merely as a useful fruiting plant but as a study in contrasting surfaces: papery husks, softly textured nuts, taut stems and deeply veined leaves.

A closer look

The composition is anchored by the central fruit cluster. Several nearly spherical nuts emerge from elongated green bracts whose pointed, irregular edges curl around them. The warm ochre and muted brown of the fruit form the plate’s strongest chromatic accent, standing out from the surrounding spectrum of greens. Fine tonal changes suggest a faintly downy surface, while the husks appear thinner and more pliant, their folds described through restrained shadow.

Above and to the left, a large leaf spreads across the page like a broad canopy. Its serrated edge is crisply articulated, and a network of veins radiates from the central rib. The colouring shifts gradually from deeper green in the shaded passages to yellow-green where the surface catches the light, giving the leaf both weight and curvature. Smaller leaves on the right turn in different directions, revealing variations in shape and angle rather than repeating a single botanical formula. Near the upper right, a delicate bud provides a quieter counterpoint to the mature fruit below.

Redouté’s control of negative space is equally important. The branch occupies only part of the pale field, leaving generous intervals around the outermost leaves and between the smaller stems. This isolation sharpens every contour and allows the eye to move from the fruit cluster to the foliage without distraction. At the foot of the plate, the French name “Noisetier franc à gros fruits” is paired with the scientific identification “Corylus maxima”, while Redouté’s name appears at the lower left. These discreet inscriptions preserve the educational character of the botanical plate without disturbing its visual balance.

Context and significance

Botanical illustration in Redouté’s period occupied a productive space between science and cultivated taste. Such plates recorded identifying features with precision, but they were also valued for their grace, colour and compositional clarity. Redouté was especially adept at reconciling these purposes. His plants are sufficiently exact to reward close study, while their placement on the page gives each specimen the presence of an individual portrait.

This study of Corylus maxima demonstrates that approach particularly well. Its subject is less conventionally ornamental than the roses and lilies often associated with Redouté, yet the fruiting branch offers its own abundance of form. The result is a quietly sophisticated botanical portrait in which structure, ripeness and texture become as compelling as floral display.

Choosing the right size and finish

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The model in the listing images is holding the 18x24in (45x60cm) version of this art print.

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This artwork is also available as a float framed canvas, sometimes known as a shadow gap framed canvas or canvas floater. The work is printed on artist's cotton canvas and then stretched over a handmade box frame. We then "float" the canvas inside a wooden frame, which is available in a range of colours (black, dark brown, oak, antique gold and white). This is a wonderful way to present an art print without glazing in front. See some examples of float framed canvas art and explore the differences between my different finishes.