 |
 |
Franz (Francis) Andreas Bauer (1758-1840)
Franz (Francis) Andreas Bauer (1758-1840) Born in Feldsburg, Austria, Franz was the older brother of Ferdinand Bauer, the famous botanical artist. After arriving in England in 1788, Sir Joseph Banks employed Franz as a botanical artist at the Royal Botanic Gardens at Kew. For the next 40 years, Bauer illustrated the newly discovered plants from around the world that were introduced to England via Kew, where they were grown and studied for the first time in a scientific manner. Bauer provided illustrations for a number of botanical books, including his 1818 work Strelitzia depicta: or coloured figures of the known species of the genus Strelitzia from the drawings in the Banksian Library'. Bauer was probably the first artist to draw detailed plant dissections for recording purposes at Kew. He even drew greatly magnified pollen specimens with remarkable detail and accuracy, despite the optical limitations of the microscopes of his time. By the early nineteenth century, plant anatomy was seen as an important tool for identification of different species. It is believed that Bauer may have used the newly developed camera lucida, to help him make such accurate drawings. Today, with a resurgence of interest in botanical art, much of his artwork has a wide appeal. It is popular with art students as a quality and style of illustration to aspire towards. The skills of capturing the life-like qualities of plants are highly specialised and to record them accurately in watercolour on paper needs dedication and artistic ability. Despite being overshadowed by the artworks of his renowned and much-travelled brother Ferdinand, Franz Bauer's images have much scientific value. His drawings are also a historic record of the development of Kew Gardens. A number of his drawings are also held in the Library there. Some of his earlier drawings are held in the library at Gottingen University in Germany. Bauer was elected a Fellow of the Linnaean Society in 1804 and additionally became a Fellow of the Royal Society in 1821. He died at Kew in December 1840 and was buried locally.
Strelitzia reginae was first grown at Kew in 1773 but unfortunately did not flourish as it was grown in unsuitable tubs or flowerpots. Sir Joseph Banks had introduced the plant to the British Isles and named it Strelitzia in honour of Queen Charlotte, who had been Princess of Mecklenburg-Strelitz in Prussia. Strelitiza reginae parvifolia is a form of the species that has smaller leaf-blades and is indigenous to South Africa, growing wild in the eastern Cape.
Strelitzias are some of the most curious subjects of botanical art. In these depictions, their real life size makes them quite astounding to the onlooker, particularly the more brightly coloured species. An exotic species, they are found naturally in South Africa. Today however, we are perhaps more used to them as seasonal cut flowers from the horticultural industries which voyages of exploration ultimately enabled. Find out more about Strelitzia reginae.
The Franz Bauer Drawings Collection The strelitzia belongs to a collection comprising of 167 watercolours of Kew plants. In addition, the Library holds a further 1,150 unfinished sketches and watercolours of orchids, ferns and other plants, including works on the germination of corn and diseases of wheat. This major collection of artwork was bequeathed to King George IV by Franz Bauer and presented to the British Museum by Queen Victoria in 1841. The collection was transferred to the Natural History Museum in 1881.
Exhibition and publication details The illustrations have probably not been previously displayed to the public. Collection No.146 has appeared in: Fusina, S. (2002) Bauer, Bauer & Co. L'Erbolario Edizioni: Lodi. 112pp.
References and further reading Lack, H. W. (2003) Ferdinand, Joseph und Franz Bauer : testamente, verlassenschaften und deren schicksale. Naturhistorisches Museum in Wien. Annalen, vol.104, pp. 479-551. Stern, W. T. (1960) Franz and Ferdinand Bauer, masters of botanical illustration. Endeavour, vol. 19, no. 73, pp.27-35. Stewart, J. and Stearn, W. T. (1993) The orchid paintings
of Franz Bauer. The Herbert Press in association with
the Natural History Museum: London. 160pp.
|
