Signed, this watercolour on vellum by Pierre-Joseph Redouté (1759–1840) depicts a posy of pansies.

Redouté was the celebrated Belgian-French botanical artist known as the Raphael of flowers, official court painter to Empress Josephine, and the most sought-after botanical illustrator of his era. His watercolours on vellum represent the pinnacle of his output, prized for their unmediated, direct handling of colour and light – distinct in technique and rarity from the engraved plates for which he is more widely known.

Small, intimate studies of a single flower type such as this posy of pansies were a recurring format within Redouté's vellum work, offering a more focused counterpart to his grander floral arrangements. Collectors of botanical art, Empress Josephine's Malmaison circle, and Redouté vellums specifically will find this a charming and characteristic small-scale example.