Pierre-Joseph Redouté (Belgian, 1759-1840), “Guernsey Lily” Amaryllis curvifolia

Pierre-Joseph Redouté  (Belgian, 1759-1840)
Watercolor for plate 274: “Guernsey Lily” Amaryllis curvifolia
Prepared for Les Liliacées ca. 1802-1816
Watercolor and graphite on vellum
Completed: ca. 1802-1816
Signed ‘P.J. Redouté’ lower left

Country of Origin: Winter rainfall South Africa (Western Cape: from Clanwilliam in the north to Caledon in the southeast). The generic name is probably a rare form of nereide, nymph of the Mediterranean Sea, ‘Gurnsey’ originates from a ship wreckage; the first plants of this species were found growing on the Channel island of Gurnsey.