We have some 30,000 original botanical illustrations, and oil portraits.
The earliest drawings date from the early 17th century, with comprehensive examples of work by eminent artists including contemporary RHS Gold medal winners. Highlights include a volume of drawings by Pieter van Kouwenhoorn (fl. 1630s), with illustrations of tulips (see left).
Botanical illustrations
Our drawings include primarily botanical illustrations, focusing on the depiction of garden varieties or cultivars, rather than species.
Botanical illustration needs the highest level of accuracy, so they may be used for identification. This makes the collection unique in the UK and internationally. As cultivars are more fugitive than species, these drawings are often our best means of ascertaining what now vanished cultivars actually looked like.
Over the past 400 years approaches to the depiction of plants has altered according to latest scientific understanding, the sponsor or patron’s request and the intended audience. These variations can be seen in the stylistic manner adopted by artists from all over the world, represented in our drawings collection.