Vintage botanical engraving of Blue Hyacinth by Pierre-Joseph Redouté

Blue Oriental Hyacinth (Hyacinthes Orientalis) is an illustration that captures the enchanting essence of this flower with its deep blue hues and intoxicating fragrance. In this exquisite engraving, Pierre-Joseph Redouté, the undisputed master of 18th-century botanical art, depicts every detail of the hyacinth with remarkable precision, capturing its radiant beauty and natural grace. The delicate petals almost seem to vibrate on the paper, inviting the viewer to immerse themselves in the captivating world of this iconic flower.

In the publication dated 1827 from which the plate is taken, the detail of this illustration is given as follows:
Blue Variety. Three plates were devoted to this beautiful flower by AL Redouté. One of them represents the variety with pink flowers; the other two give the figures of two varieties with blue flowers. The Oriental Hyacinth is native to Asia Minor. Transported more than two centuries ago to the gardens of Holland, then throughout Europe, it has provided in the long run, through the care of growers, these countless varieties with single flowers and double flowers, the number of which today amounts to more than two thousand. In the eyes of amateurs, a Hyacinth is all the more valuable if its flowers are large and full, while retaining the regularity as well as the pleasant and revolute shape of their divisions. It acquires an even greater value if the heart is of a different color from that of the external divisions.