Botanical painter
Georg Dionysius Ehret
A gardener's son who became the leading botanical painter of the 18th century.
On Picturepops™ cards · 2
The life
1708-1770Born Heidelberg, Germany
Georg Dionysius Ehret, the son of a gardener, began work as a gardener's apprentice near Heidelberg. In the Netherlands in 1735-36 he worked with the young Carl Linnaeus at George Clifford's estate, and his drawings illustrated Linnaeus's new system of plant classification and the Hortus Cliffortianus (1738). He then settled in England, where he painted rare plants at the Chelsea Physic Garden, taught flower painting, and worked for patrons such as Sir Hans Sloane and the Duchess of Portland. His paintings, often in watercolour on vellum, are known for their accuracy and clear design. The plant genus Ehretia is named after him. On Picturepops cards: Pancratium (c. 1752), a watercolour on vellum in The Metropolitan Museum of Art.