Peonies Journal — Redouté 1827 Choix des plus belles

The peony has been cultivated for more than two thousand years — from the imperial gardens of Tang dynasty China, where the emperor Xuanzong planted ten thousand tree peonies and the poet Li Bai compared their beauty to that of the imperial consort, to the gardens of Malmaison, where Empress Joséphine assembled the finest peony collection in Europe and commissioned Pierre-Joseph Redouté to give them the portraits they deserved.

The front cover presents Redouté's illustration of the Moutan peony — Paeonia moutan suffruticosa, the tree peony introduced to Europe from China in the late 18th century — with its botanical scientific diagrams, from his contributions to the Traité des arbres et arbustes, rendered in his signature stipple-engraving technique that earned him the title “Raphael of Flowers,” set against a deep dark blue background. The back cover presents Plate 071 from Choix des plus belles fleurs (1827) — the Pivoine de la Chine (Paeonia lactiflora), one of the most celebrated botanical plates of the 19th century, its full abundant blooms in deep rose, blush pink, and cream glowing against the dark blue background with the luminosity of gallery-quality art.

Product Details

• Format: 5.75 × 8 in (14.6 × 20.3 cm)
• Pages: 150 lined pages (75 sheets)
• Perforated pages — tear out cleanly without damaging the binding
• Paper weight: 90 gsm, suitable for fountain pens and pencils
• Hardcover with matte finish, casewrap sewn binding
• Weight: 400 g (14.1 oz)

Perfect For

• Peony lovers and botanical art collectors
• Redouté admirers and French botanical illustration enthusiasts
• Garden journalers documenting peony cultivation and floral observations
• Students of 19th-century French botanical illustration and stipple-engraving
• Everyday writing, floral design notes, and creative journaling
• Thoughtful gifts for anyone captivated by Napoleonic elegance and the gardens of Malmaison

Read more: The Peony: From Ancient China to the Gardens of Malmaison