Imperial Fritillary

This dazzling botanical drawing by the little-known French artist Laure Devéria demonstrates aesthetic and scientific sensibilities in equal measure. Its vibrant colours and meticulous specificity – visible, for example, in the chromatic variation of the stem – not only delight the eye, but could also help someone identify the plant. In a time before modern photography, art was essential to the production and dissemination of scientific knowledge, and women like Devéria played a major role. This is the drawing’s first time on view at the Museum.