Brookshaw's sensuous rendering of the exposed melon flesh together with its soft foliage and flowering vine have made this an iconic botanical image. Its clean lines and rustic surfaces make this early 19th-century painting feel right at home in the early 21st.

About George Brookshaw

Dedicated to his patron, The Prince of Wales, George Brookshaw's Pomona Brittanica is a masterpiece among 19th-century British flower books. Many of the specimens were taken from the Royal Gardens at Hampton Court and Kensington Gardens.

The Pomona was first issued in parts between 1804 and 1808; the first complete edition was published in 1812 and dedicated to the Prince Regent. In addition to creating the superb images, Brookshaw himself produced the engravings.

Brookshaw's distinctive and sensual botanic images take thorough advantage of the rich, modulated tones he was able to achieve with the aquatint process. These works are considered to be the finest British botanical art of the early 19th century, a time when many great flower paintings were produced in England.