Signed and dated 1821, this watercolour, body colour and graphite on vellum by Princesse Louise Marie Eugénie Adélaïde d'Orléans (1777–1847) depicts pansies, morning glories and single chrysanthemums.

Princesse Adélaïde was the sister of Louis Philippe, King of France from 1830 to 1848. This exquisite watercolour on vellum demonstrates why she was not only one of Pierre-Joseph Redouté's most famous pupils, but arguably his most talented. Adélaïde's early years were rocked by the political upheavals that engulfed France from the late eighteenth century onwards; she lived in exile with her brother, including time in Palermo in 1809.

On her return to Paris in 1814, Adélaïde took up residence with her extended family at the Palais-Royal, where she hosted a salon that became a centre of opposition to the Bourbon regime, bringing together artists, intellectuals and influential figures including Talleyrand. Through this environment she worked toward a constitutional monarchy headed by her brother, a dream realised in the July Revolution of 1830.

Collectors of Redouté's circle, French royal artists, and botanical watercolours on vellum will find this a remarkable work by an accomplished amateur whose political significance rivalled her artistic talent.