When he published the first edition of his Traité des arbres et arbustes qui se cultivent en France in 1755, the botanist and agronomist Henri Louis Duhamel Du Monceau, a prominent member of the Academy of Sciences, offered the public a brilliant synthesis of the knowledge of the time in arboriculture. Established as a reasoned flora based on the classification of Tournefort, the work would contribute to recognizing its author as the founder of modern forest botany and silviculture.

Comprising two volumes in quarto format, the work is illustrated with two hundred and fifty woodcut figures, borrowed from an Italian herbarium published at the end of the sixteenth century, supplemented by nearly two hundred copperplate engravings showing flowers and seeds. However, while it offers the guarantees of the highest scientific rigor and stands as a pioneering work, the book is not a beautiful object likely to seduce bibliophiles. This is mainly due to the technique of woodcut engraving, which offers a rather coarse rendering and does not allow for representing all the finesse and subtlety of the described plants.

Although recognized and appreciated by the scientific community, the book was not reissued until the death of its author in 1782. In the second half of the eighteenth century, scientific knowledge evolved, and new species were acclimatized in France. It was therefore necessary to enrich and complement the original work.

It was not until around 1800 that Parisian publishers Pierre Didot, Étienne Michel, and P.-M. Lamy undertook a new publication of remarkable scope and quality. Launched as a subscription, the new work, in folio format, would consist of eighty-three installments, each containing six plates and the corresponding text, totaling 498 plates. The text would be significantly enriched, especially in three additional volumes entitled 'Nouveau Duhamel', written by the botanist Jean Loiseleur-Deslongchamps, a student of Lamarck. The publication continued until 1819, forming a set of seven volumes that would become both a monument of botanical science and a gem of bibliophilia

The entirely renewed iconography was the work of Pierre-Joseph Redouté, the famous painter of roses, nicknamed the 'Raphael of flowers', whose reputation was at its peak at the time. His student Pancrace Bessa, also a renowned flower painter, contributed to the work as well. The plants were drawn from observed specimens, particularly those from the collection of the Muséum d'Histoire naturelle de Paris. The technique employed, long proven by Redouté in his previous publications, involved extremely precise stipple engraving, allowing for color plate printing; these were then enhanced with watercolor. The result was of exceptional quality, highlighting the finest details of the plants and faithfully reflecting their original colors.

This Traité des arbres, magnified by the hand of the painter, stands as one of the most beautiful illustrated botanical works ever published in France.


A copy of this work will be presented at our upcoming auction of Rare books and manuscripts on 16 May 2024.

Ludovic Miran, book expert at Cabinet Le Prince, Paris.

Upcoming Rare books and manuscripts auction
Thursday 16th May 2024

For more information or to include a lot in our auctions, please contact
Sophie Perrine
+33 1 41 92 06 44 - perrine@aguttes.com