Exhibition

In Pursuit of Flora: 18th-Century Botanical Drawings from The Huntington’s Art Collections

European exploration of other lands during the so-called Age of Discovery revealed a vast new world of plant life that required description, cataloging, and recording. By the 18th century, the practice of botanical illustration had become an essential tool in the study of natural history.
Georg Dionysius Ehret (1708-1770), Climbing Lily (Gloriosa Superba), 1763, watercolor on vellum. The Huntington Library, Art Collections, and Botanical Gardens.

Georg Dionysius Ehret (1708-1770), Climbing Lily (Gloriosa Superba), 1763, watercolor on vellum. The Huntington Library, Art Collections, and Botanical Gardens.

European exploration of other lands during the so-called Age of Discovery revealed a vast new world of plant life that required description, cataloging, and recording. By the 18th century, the practice of botanical illustration had become an essential tool in the study of natural history. From lusciously detailed drawings of fruit and flowers by Georg Dionysius Ehret (1708-1770), a collaborator of Swedish botanist Carl Linnaeus, to depictions of more exotic examples by Matilda Conyers (1753-1803), “In Pursuit of Flora” reveals 18th-century European appreciation for the beauty of the natural world.