The $5.5 Million Garden Album: Empress Josephine’s Treasured Redouté Watercolors Go Under the Hammer
This botanical history post was featured on The Daily Gardener podcast:
November 15, 1985
Dearest readers,
On this day in 1985, The New York Times reported a highly anticipated auction—the sale of Empress Josephine’s personal copy of Pierre-Joseph Redouté’s exquisite botanical watercolors for Les Liliacées (“The Lilies”).
This extraordinary collection, cherished by royalty and art lovers alike, was expected to captivate bidders with an estimated price between $5 million and $7 million.
The collection was extra special, not just for its artistry but for its royal provenance. Commissioned originally by Marie Antoinette herself, there is a famous tale of Marie summoning Redouté to her chambers in the dead of night and demanding that he paint a cactus impromptu—an act that solidified his reputation as the premier botanical artist of his time.
Redouté would go on to immortalize countless exotic flowers from the royal gardens, enchanting the nobility and botanists alike.
Josephine Bonaparte, known for her passionate love of gardens and rare tropical blossoms, owned this impressive collection, which passed through her family line until 1935, when it was auctioned in Zurich. Stored safely in a bank vault for decades as part of a family trust, the watercolors finally surfaced for public bidding in New York City at Sotheby’s.
Anticipation buzzed around the auction hall, with London dealer Peter Mitchell emphasizing the rarity of such a complete and pristine collection of originals.
His concern was that a syndicate might buy the lot and divide it, separating centuries of botanical heritage.
Indeed, a syndicate—a group of powerful executives from investment banks, law firms, and commodity trading entities—won the lot for $5 million, with the total sale, including fees, coming to $5.5 million.
The auction proved to be one of the swiftest and highest in Sotheby’s history for such property, lasting only a few minutes but igniting a lasting interest in Redouté’s art and Josephine’s garden legacy.
For collectors today, however, the stunning works of Pierre-Joseph Redouté, whose mastery once graced royal greenhouses, can be found in affordable copies on platforms like Etsy—bringing a touch of regality and natural beauty into modern homes.
