Pierre Jean François Turpin: The Self-Taught Master Illustrator Illuminating Botanical Wonders

March 11, 1775

Dearest reader,

On this day, we celebrate the birth of a remarkable French botanist and illustrator, Pierre Jean François Turpin.

A man of both talent and tenacity, Pierre was close friends with the esteemed botanist and botanical artist Pierre Antoine Poiteau, from whom he gleaned much botanical wisdom.

Yet, when it came to his exquisite botanical illustrations, Pierre was self-taught —a true autodidact — whose brush brought the natural world to life in over 6,000 magnificent watercolors. It is said that the celebrated Redouté influenced him greatly, and one must marvel at his mastery, especially of fruit trees, with his fruit prints held in the highest regard worldwide.

But, dear reader, it is not just his artistry that captures the imagination.

Two stories about Pierre reveal a deeper layer of his genius and heart. The first involves a whimsical creation for the literary giant Goethe, who sought an illustration to depict the vast diversity of angiosperms. Pierre, with audacious creativity, conjured a fictional plant — an amalgam of various flowering plants — which Goethe christened the Urplant.

As Goethe proclaimed,

“The Urplant would be the most wondrous creation in the world, for which nature itself would envy me. With it, one could invent plants to infinity...”

What a tantalizing thought!

Could we gardeners ever dream of such endless botanical invention?

I have shared Pierre’s image of the Urplant in our Facebook group; it sits atop your feed, awaiting your admiring gaze.

The second story, much more poignant, concerns Pierre’s son, Pierre Jr.

The elder Turpin taught his son the delicate art of botanical drawing, yet tragedy struck when young Pierre died at the tender age of eighteen. His final masterpiece was a delicate rendering of an Amaryllis. Honor prevailed, for Pierre Sr. ensured his son received full credit, accompanied by a tender epitaph:

“This original illustration was painted by Pierre John Frederick Eugene Turpin.
The illustrator, who was 18 years and six days of age, ceased to live on the 21st of August in 1821.”

Less than two decades later, Pierre himself would pass away in Paris at 65.

Now, let me turn to Amaryllis — the star of many a gardener’s winter window. Just this season, my dear neighbor Jan returned from Las Vegas to find her Christmas gift, an Amaryllis, in splendid bloom.

She asked the question on every gardener’s lips:

“What do I do with it after it’s done blooming?”

Well, the answer is delightfully simple yet full of possibilities.

You might, of course, bid it farewell and toss it into the compost. But for those who treat their gardens as an ongoing romance, the Amaryllis can bloom again. Keep it indoors in a sunny window until June.

Gradually acclimate it to outdoor conditions like a cherished houseplant, increasing progressively its time outdoors until it enjoys full days in the sun. Come fall, bring it indoors and impose a dormancy period—best in a cool, dark cellar where watering ceases, allowing your Amaryllis to slumber like a sleeping beauty.

Then, with a gentle return to watering, awaken your bulb just in time for the holidays, ready to bloom anew. In the spirit of Pierre Junior’s final tribute, consider what care and patience can coax from your Amaryllis this season.

Might you, too, give your plants a second chance at glory?

So, on this day of Pierre Turpin's birth, may you ponder the curious blend of art, science, and love for nature that shaped his life—and consider, dear gardener, how you might create your own botanical magic, perhaps even an Urplant of your own imagining.