The seventeenth century witnessed an extraordinary confluence of scientific inquiry and artistic expression, a period where the meticulous observation of the natural world found its voice in exquisitely detailed artworks. Among the foremost practitioners of this delicate art was Nicolas Robert (1614-1685), a French artist whose contributions to botanical and zoological illustration remain a testament to his skill, dedication, and the era's burgeoning passion for understanding nature. His legacy, primarily enshrined in the magnificent collection of watercolors on vellum known as the Velins du Roi, continues to inspire awe and provide invaluable scientific and artistic insights.
Early Life and Artistic Genesis
Nicolas Robert was born in Langres, a town in northeastern France, in 1614. His father was an innkeeper, a background that offered little overt indication of the artistic path his son would eventually tread. The specifics of Robert's early artistic training remain somewhat obscure, a common reality for many artists of that period who were not born into established artistic dynasties. However, it is clear that he developed a remarkable talent for precise drawing and delicate coloring from a relatively young age.
A formative period in Robert's early career was his time spent in Italy. The Italian peninsula, with its rich artistic heritage and vibrant intellectual climate, was a magnet for aspiring artists from across Europe. It was here that Robert honed his skills, likely studying both classical art and the works of contemporary Italian masters. During his Italian sojourn, he is known to have created a series of engravings titled Fiori diversi che N. Robert dedicò al Signor Giovanni Orlandi, published around 1640. This work, showcasing diverse flowers, already hinted at his burgeoning specialization in botanical subjects and his connection with figures like Giovanni Orlandi, who was likely involved in horticulture or art dealing. This experience in Italy would have exposed him to a sophisticated culture of collecting and depicting naturalia, further fueling his interest.
The Guirlande de Julie: A Landmark Commission
Upon his return to France, Robert's talent began to attract significant attention. A pivotal commission that cemented his early reputation was the Guirlande de Julie (Julie's Garland), completed around 1641. This exquisite manuscript was a collection of poems by various authors, commissioned by Charles de Sainte-Maure, Baron de Montausier (later Duc de Montausier), as a gift for his future wife, Julie Lucine d'Angennes, the daughter of the Marquise de Rambouillet, whose salon was a center of French literary and cultural life.
For this unique and romantic project, Nicolas Robert was tasked with illustrating each poem with a meticulously painted flower on vellum. Each of the sixty-nine flowers was rendered with astonishing precision and delicacy, showcasing not only his botanical accuracy but also his refined aesthetic sense. The Guirlande de Julie was more than just a collection of pretty pictures; it was a sophisticated interplay of poetry and art, a testament to the refined tastes of the French aristocracy. Robert's contribution was crucial to its success and brought his name to the attention of influential patrons. The work demonstrated his mastery of watercolor on vellum, a medium that would become his hallmark. Other artists, like the calligrapher Nicolas Jarry, also contributed to this celebrated manuscript, highlighting the collaborative nature of such luxury productions.
Patronage of Gaston d'Orléans: The Blois Collection
The success of the Guirlande de Julie and other early works paved the way for an even more significant phase in Robert's career. Around 1645 (some sources suggest closer to 1650), he entered the service of Gaston d'Orléans (1608-1660), the younger brother of King Louis XIII. Gaston was a prominent figure in French politics and a renowned patron of the arts and sciences, with a particular passion for botany and zoology. He maintained magnificent gardens and a menagerie at his château in Blois, which housed a vast collection of rare and exotic plants and animals.
Gaston d'Orléans employed a team of artists to document his living collections, and Nicolas Robert quickly became the leading figure among them. His task was to create a visual inventory of the rarest and most beautiful specimens. Over several years, Robert produced hundreds of watercolors on vellum, depicting flowers, plants, and birds from Gaston's collections with unparalleled accuracy and artistry. These works were not mere scientific records; they were also objects of beauty, intended to delight the eye and celebrate the wonders of nature. This period at Blois was crucial for Robert, allowing him to dedicate himself almost exclusively to natural history illustration and to refine his techniques further. He worked alongside other artists and naturalists, contributing to a vibrant intellectual environment. The collection of vellums initiated by Gaston d'Orléans would form the nucleus of what later became the Velins du Roi.
Royal Appointment: Peintre Ordinaire du Roi en Miniature
Upon Gaston d'Orléans's death in 1660, his remarkable collection of natural history vellums, including Robert's extensive contributions, was bequeathed to his nephew, King Louis XIV. The young king, already embarking on a reign that would be characterized by lavish cultural patronage, recognized the immense value of this collection. In 1666, Nicolas Robert was officially appointed Peintre ordinaire du Roi en miniature pour le Cabinet des Velins (Ordinary Painter to the King in Miniature for the Vellum Collection), a prestigious title that came with the responsibility of continuing and expanding this unique visual archive.
This appointment marked the zenith of Robert's career. He was now directly in the service of the most powerful monarch in Europe, tasked with documenting the flora and fauna of the royal gardens and menageries, particularly those at the Jardin Royal des Plantes Médicinales in Paris (the precursor to the Muséum national d'Histoire naturelle) and the newly established menagerie at Versailles. Louis XIV's reign saw an explosion of interest in scientific exploration and the collection of exotic species, and Robert's work played a vital role in this endeavor. He was expected to produce a significant number of new vellums each year, a demanding task that he fulfilled with unwavering dedication until his death.
The Velins du Roi: A Monumental Legacy
The Velins du Roi (King's Vellums) stands as Nicolas Robert's most enduring legacy and one of the treasures of French art and science. This collection, housed today at the Muséum national d'Histoire naturelle in Paris, comprises thousands of watercolors on vellum, created over nearly two and a half centuries by a succession of artists, but Robert was its foundational master. His contributions, numbering over 700 individual sheets, set the standard for scientific accuracy and artistic excellence that his successors would strive to emulate.
The subjects of Robert's vellums are diverse, ranging from humble wildflowers to exotic birds of paradise, from meticulously rendered insects to majestic mammals. Each specimen is depicted with an extraordinary attention to detail, capturing its form, color, texture, and often its characteristic posture or habitat. Robert's approach was a harmonious blend of scientific objectivity and aesthetic sensibility. While his primary goal was accurate representation, he also possessed a keen eye for composition and a delicate touch with color, imbuing his subjects with a lifelike vitality.
These vellums served multiple purposes. They were a scientific record, aiding in the identification and classification of species. They were a tool for education, used by naturalists and students. They were also a symbol of royal power and intellectual curiosity, showcasing the richness of the king's collections and the sophistication of French science and art. The tradition of the Velins du Roi was continued after Robert's death by artists such as Jean Joubert (who was also his nephew and pupil), Claude Aubriet, Madeleine Françoise Basseporte, and later, the renowned Pierre-Joseph Redouté and Gerard van Spaendonck, each adding to this magnificent corpus.
Artistic Style and Techniques
Nicolas Robert's artistic style is characterized by its precision, clarity, and elegance. He worked primarily in watercolor and gouache on vellum (prepared animal skin, usually calf, sheep, or goat), a demanding medium that allows for luminous colors and fine detail but is unforgiving of errors. Vellum provided a smooth, durable surface that enhanced the brilliance of the pigments.
His technique involved careful preliminary drawing, often in graphite or light ink, followed by the application of translucent washes of watercolor to build up form and color. He used opaque gouache for highlights and finer details, achieving a remarkable sense of texture and three-dimensionality. Robert typically depicted his subjects isolated against the plain background of the vellum, a convention that focused attention entirely on the specimen itself, emphasizing its scientific importance. However, his compositions were never sterile; he often imbued his subjects with a sense of life and movement, particularly in his depictions of birds and animals. Many of his vellums feature a subtle gold border and a number, likely for cataloging purposes, often in the lower right corner.
Robert was not only a painter but also a skilled engraver. He produced several series of engravings, including the aforementioned Fiori diversi, and contributed illustrations to scientific publications. His engravings, while lacking the vibrant color of his watercolors, demonstrate the same precision and attention to detail. Notable among his engraved works is the Recueil de XXIV plantes et fleurs gravées par N. Robert and his contributions to Denis Dodart's Mémoires pour servir à l'histoire des plantes (1676), a prestigious publication by the French Royal Academy of Sciences, of which Robert became a member.
Other Notable Works and Projects
Beyond the Velins du Roi and the Guirlande de Julie, Robert was involved in other significant projects. His Recueil d’oiseaux les plus rares tirés de la Ménagerie royale du parc de Versailles (Collection of the Rarest Birds from the Royal Menagerie of Versailles Park) was a series of engravings showcasing the exotic avian inhabitants of Louis XIV's menagerie. These prints, like his vellums, combined scientific accuracy with artistic appeal, making them popular among collectors and naturalists.
His work often involved collaboration. For instance, in the scientific publications of the Académie Royale des Sciences, his drawings would have been translated into engravings by specialized printmakers such as Abraham Bosse, who was a master of the technique, or later engravers who specialized in scientific plates. The collaborative nature of seventeenth-century printmaking and large-scale artistic projects meant that artists often worked within a network of specialists.
The Wider Artistic and Scientific Context
Nicolas Robert worked during a period of profound intellectual and artistic ferment. The Scientific Revolution was well underway, fostering a new emphasis on empirical observation and systematic classification of the natural world. The establishment of scientific academies, such as the Académie Royale des Sciences in Paris (1666), provided institutional support for these endeavors. Robert's association with the Academy underscores the scientific value attributed to his work.
In the realm of art, the reign of Louis XIV was dominated by the grand style of French Classicism, epitomized by artists like Charles Le Brun, who oversaw the artistic production at Versailles. While Robert's intimate and detailed natural history illustrations might seem distinct from the heroic history paintings favored by Le Brun, they shared a common emphasis on clarity, order, and technical mastery. Robert's work can be seen as a specialized branch of this broader artistic culture, one that catered to the era's fascination with mirabilia – the wonders of nature and human ingenuity collected in cabinets of curiosities and royal menageries.
He was a contemporary of other European artists specializing in natural history, though direct collaborations might have been limited by geography. For instance, in the Netherlands, artists like Maria Sibylla Merian were producing groundbreaking work on insects and plants, often with a similar dedication to direct observation. While Robert's focus was primarily on the French royal collections, his work participated in a broader European trend of visually documenting the natural world. Earlier French artists like Jacques Le Moyne de Morgues (c. 1533–1588) and Pierre Vallet (c. 1575–1657), who published Le Jardin du Roy Tres Chrestien Henry IV, had laid some groundwork for botanical illustration in France, and Daniel Rabel (1578–1637) was another significant predecessor in flower painting.
Studio Practice and Collaborators
Given the sheer volume of work Robert produced, particularly for the Velins du Roi where he was contracted to deliver around 50 vellums per year, it is highly probable that he maintained a studio and employed assistants. This was a common practice for successful artists of the period. His nephew and pupil, Jean Joubert (c. 1643-1707), was one such collaborator who later succeeded him as a royal painter for the vellum collection. Claude Aubriet (c. 1665-1742), who would become one of the most distinguished botanical artists of the next generation, also began his career under Robert's influence, possibly even in his studio, before eventually taking over the Velins project. Jean Boussois is another name sometimes mentioned in connection with his workshop.
These assistants would have helped with preparatory work, grinding pigments, preparing vellum, and possibly even painting less critical parts of compositions or making copies. However, the consistent quality and distinctive style of Robert's signed or attributed works suggest that he maintained close supervision and executed the most important elements himself.
Legacy and Enduring Influence
Nicolas Robert died in Paris in 1685, leaving behind a rich legacy. His most significant contribution was undoubtedly the establishment and development of the Velins du Roi, which became a model for natural history illustration for generations to come. His meticulous technique, his ability to combine scientific accuracy with aesthetic beauty, and his dedication to his craft set a high standard that influenced many subsequent artists.
The artists who followed him in the Velins du Roi project, including Joubert, Aubriet, Basseporte, Spaendonck, and Redouté, all built upon the foundation he had laid. Pierre-Joseph Redouté, often called the "Raphael of flowers," though working much later, is part of this lineage, and his celebrated depictions of roses and lilies owe a debt to the tradition of precision and elegance established by Robert. Gerard van Spaendonck, another luminary of flower painting, also held the position of painter for the Velins.
Robert's influence extended beyond France. His engravings circulated throughout Europe, disseminating his images and his style. His work contributed to the growing body of knowledge about the natural world and fostered a greater appreciation for its beauty and diversity. Today, his original watercolors are prized by museums and collectors, not only as exquisite works of art but also as valuable historical and scientific documents. His works are found in prestigious collections such as the Muséum national d'Histoire naturelle in Paris, the British Museum in London, the Fitzwilliam Museum in Cambridge, and the Hofbibliothek in Vienna.
The precision of his work also served as an important resource for scientists. In an era before photography, accurate illustrations were essential for botanical and zoological studies, for identification, and for the dissemination of knowledge. Robert's depictions of newly discovered species were particularly valuable. His art was a bridge between the scientific and artistic worlds, demonstrating that these two domains could not only coexist but also enrich each other. The portrait painter Hyacinthe Rigaud, a contemporary who captured the likenesses of the French elite, operated in a different sphere of royal art, yet both Robert and Rigaud contributed to the visual culture of Louis XIV's reign, one documenting nature's marvels, the other human grandeur.
Conclusion
Nicolas Robert stands as a pivotal figure in the history of natural history illustration. His career, spanning several decades of dedicated service to prestigious patrons including Gaston d'Orléans and King Louis XIV, resulted in an oeuvre of exceptional quality and scientific importance. Through his masterful watercolors on vellum and his detailed engravings, he captured the beauty and diversity of the plant and animal kingdoms with a fidelity that was unparalleled in his time.
His work on the Velins du Roi established a tradition of excellence that endured for centuries, making this collection one of the world's most important archives of natural history illustration. Robert's ability to seamlessly blend scientific accuracy with artistic elegance ensured that his creations were not merely records but true works of art. He was a quiet master, whose patient observation and skilled hand brought the wonders of nature to life, leaving an indelible mark on both art and science, and securing his place as one of the great natural history artists of the seventeenth century. His legacy continues to be celebrated for its beauty, its precision, and its invaluable contribution to our understanding of the natural world.
