Two drawings on vellum by Baldassare Cattrani, c.1800

CATTRANI, Baldassare (fl. 1776-1810). “Desmanthus cinereus” and “Tagetes erecta fl[ore] pl[eno] var.” c.1800.

Two masterful botanical drawings on vellum by Cattrani, a contemporary of Redouté. Here depicted are Desmanthus cinereus, a mimosa-like legume from sub-tropical America, and Tagetes erecta, also known as the Mexican or Aztec marigold: cempazúchitl or cempasúchil. Cattrani's "singular talent led to permission to study and paint in Padua's botanical garden, one of the oldest and most prestigious in Europe, and support from the Empress Joséphine, patroness of one of the most productive circles of artists and plantsmen in the history of botany. Thus, the high scientific, as well as artistic, quality of Cattrani's work comes as no surprise. Every painting is marked by his clear and assured style, with each plant elegantly arranged on the page and depicted with a minute attention to detail" (Oak Spring).

These were offered in the 1935 sale in Zurich of books and manuscripts from library of Eugene Beauharnais, son of the Empress Josephine, and described in the sale catalogue as being painted for Josephine at Malmaison. Other examples of from this group can be found at the Oak Spring library and Dumbarton Oaks. See Oak Spring Flora, pp. 217-220.

Two drawings, 525 x 385mm, watercolor and gouache on vellum, within a ruled border. Provenance: by descent from the Beauharnais family until 1935, sold: Braus-Riggenbach and Ulrico Hoepli, Zurich, 23 May 1935, lot 17.