Ferdinand Bauer: "the Leonardo of natural history illustration"

Ferdinand and two brothers -- Franz Andreas (March 14, 1758 - December 11, 1840) and Joseph Anton (1756 - 1831) -- were engaged, beginning in 1770, by Norbert Boccius (1729 - 1806), botanist-physician Prior of the Hospitaller Order of St. John of God in Feldsberg, to paint miniature watercolor illustrations of approximately 3,100 plants, including native flora of Lower Austria (in northeastern Austria) and of Moravia (in southeastern Czech Republic). The illustrations, totalling 2,748, were ultimately published in the fourteen-volume Liber Regni Vegetabilis (“Book of the Plant Kingdom”). Most of volumes 1 through 8, published from 1776 to 1793, respectively, are attributed to the Bauer brothers.

In 1799, the floral masterpiece became known as Codex Liechtenstein with its presentation by Norbert Boccius to Prince Aloys I of Liechtenstein (May 14, 1759 - March 24, 1805). The close relationship between the House of Liechtenstein and the Hospitaller Order dates back to 1605 when Prince Karl I of Liechtenstein (July 30, 1569 - February 12, 1627) established the monastery and hospital in Feldsberg as the first branch of the Order north of the Alps. Codex Liechtenstein was kept in the royal family's Garden Palace (Gartenpalais) in Vienna until around 1938, when, in the tenuous events leading to the outbreak of the Second World War (September 1, 1939 - September 2, 1945), it -- along with other treasures in the Princely Collections (Sammlungen des Fürsten von Liechtenstein) -- was smuggled for safekeeping to Vaduz Castle (Schloss Vaduz) in the eponymous capital of the Principality of Liechtenstein (Fürstentum Liechtenstein).

Based in Vaduz Castle, the Princely Collections are displayed partially in the Liechtenstein Art Museum (Kunstmuseum) and partially in Vienna, where the Liechtenstein Museum reopened in the Garden Palace on March 29, 2004. Presently Codex Liechtenstein is held in the permanent collection of the Liechtenstein Museum.

In the late eighteenth century natural history illustrators selected from three strategies for recording colors in preliminary sketches for their drawings:

• Thorough written description;
• Small painted portions of differently colored individual parts;
• Abbreviated or coded descriptions, e.g., numerical references to a color chart.

These strategies allowed illustrators to refine their drawings at their leisure, which was particularly helpful for sketches executed en pleine air ("in the open air"), in field work, especially on expeditions abroad.

During their stay in Vienna, Ferdinand and Franz were definitely referring to a numbered color chart, which is believed to have been used, and probably devised, by the Bauer brothers back in Feldsberg. The Bauer color chart, which has been reconstructed by comparison of the Bauers' coded pencil sketches with the completed body-color drawings, has been determined to contain 140 enumerated color shades, tints, and tones.Tints lighten a particular hue, or color, through mixture with white; shades darken a particular hue through mixture with black; tones change a particular hue through mixture with black and white. Other gradations are achieved through mixture with complementary or adjacent colors in the color sphere.

Inserted into the midst of Systema Colorum Tabulare, a notebook by Bohemian explorer-naturalist Thaddäus Haenke (December 6, 1761 - November 14, 1816), is a color chart, measuring as a perfect square at 4.64 by 4.64 inches (118 by 118 millimeters) and bearing handwritten numbers that have been matched to numerals entered by Ferdinand on his sketches. Specifically, Ferdinand's idiosyncratic addition of a dot, in a superscript or other odd location, after the number 9. Moreover, the 140 swatches, which match the color scheme evinced in the Bauer brothers' Feldsberg and Vienna drawings, has been dated to before 1779.

Comparison of Ferdinand's sketches with final body-color drawings for his two major expeditions reveals continuous refinement of his color chart. Eastern Mediterranean flora necessitated a color chart of 250 shades, tints, and tones. Australia's uniquely spectacular fauna and flora expanded the code to 999 numbers plus added letters.

Ferdinand’s career as expeditionary artist began, upon Professor Jacquin’s recommendation, in the retinue of Sherardian Professor of Botany at the University of Oxford John Sibthorp (October 28, 1758 - February 8, 1796) during his faunal and floral tour of Greece and the eastern Mediterranean from March 1786 to December 1787.

Settling afterwards in Oxford, England, Ferdinand devoted the one and one-third decades remaining in the eighteenth century to illustrating other projects while finalizing his massive output from the expedition, which consisted of:

• 1,000 colored drawings of plants;
• 363 of animals;
• 131 of landscapes.

With John Sibthorp’s descriptions illustrated by 966 color engravings based on Ferdinand’s accurately executed and colored drawings, Flora Graeca was released in ten volumes over a span of more than three decades, from 1806 to 1840.

Subsequently regarded as one of the most magnificent botanical publications, Flora Graeca cost the colossal sum of over £620 to print the twenty-five copies that were released. Although considered at the time to be a commercial failure, the timeless scientific value of Flora Graeca was indisputable. The amazing exactitude of even the minutest details of form and the breathtaking verisimilitude (Latin: verum, "truth" + similis, "similar") of color nuances, sustained throughout the work in every luminous drawing, have instilled over the intervening centuries consistent awe at Ferdinand's indefatigable genius.

The first illustration of koalas (Phascolarctos cinereus) is attributed to Ferdinand, who made sketches of specimens from Mount Kembla (then known as Hat Hill by settlers) in the Illiwarra district of New South Wales, about 50 miles (80 kilometers) south of Sydney. Sketched in summer 1803, Ferdinand's charmingly accurate watercolors were completed in London around 1811.

The rigors of the expedition took their toll on Investigator, which was condemned as unseaworthy two years later after the beleaguered sloop limped into Port Jackson, Sydney’s natural habor. Robert Brown and Ferdinand wisely chose to headquarter in Sydney while Captain Flinders prepared to journey back to England to obtain a replacement for Investigator but ended up being detained for six and a half years, from December 17, 1803 until June 1810, as a prisoner of the French during the Napoleonic Wars (1803 to 1815) on the island of Mauritius off the southeast coast of Africa in the southwest Indian Ocean.

Ferdinand and Robert travelled extensively to partake of and record the lush biodiversity, not only of the fascinating continent, but also of such alluring neighbors as Norfolk  Island and Lord Howe Island. By the time that Ferdinand and Robert finally sailed for England from Sydney on May 23, 1805, Ferdinand had amassed 2,073 minutely detailed sketches. In England, Ferdinand focused on doing all of the color engravings of his Australian sketches himself for his botanical record of the expedition.

Returning to Vienna in August 1814, Ferdinand settled in Hietzing (now a district in the western sector of Vienna) near three refreshing natural sites: the Royal Botanical Garden at Schönbrunn, Lainzer Tiergarten and the Vienna Woods (Wienerwald). The next eleven and one-half years were devoted to his beloved painting and to excursions to the Austrian Alps and the surrounding countryside.

In his will, signed in poignantly tremulous handwriting on March 12, 1826, Ferdinand appointed three of his brothers as heirs -- Johann (born 1754),  Joseph, and Franz -- and he bequeathed his library and his microscope to botanist Heinrich Wilhelm Schott (January 7, 1794-March 5, 1865), who later, in 1845, became director of the Schönbrunn gardens. Ferdinand's estate included a valuable home as well as a London bank account.

Ferdinand passed away less than a week later and was laid to rest in Hietzing's cemetery, which is no longer in existence. In fact, nothing remains to indicate the location of Ferdinand's grave. Moreover, no portrait appears to have ever been drawn of this exceptional artist.

Ferdinand's artistry has always enjoyed the highest estimation of colleagues and botanists. Named in Ferdinand's honor by Captain Flinders, Cape Bauer on the Gibson Peninsula in South Australia, near Streaky Bay, is ruggedly picturesque exhibiting a sparkling palette of ever-changing colors in the exuberant interaction of land, sea, and sky. Authentically capturing the cape's beauty would require the full extent of Ferdinand's precise color chart. 

Native Australian plants honoring Ferdinand include:

• Eucalyptus baueriana (round leaf box or blue box eucalyptus);
• Grevillea baueri (Bauer's Grevillea).

The genus of eastern Australian endemic shrubs, Bauera Banks ex Andrews, honors both Ferdinand and his brother Franz. The genus was first described by Sir Joseph Banks (February 24, 1743 – June 19, 1820), who knew both brothers:

• Franz, for whom he secured the position of first botanical  illustrator at Royal Gardens Kew, which Franz held from circa 1790 until his death in 1840;
• Ferdinand, whom he assigned to the first European circumnaviation of Australia, 1801 - 1803.

Public recognition of Ferdinand's artistry, especially within its Australian context, occurred with two recent exhibitions. From April 27 through July 19, 1998, an exhibition at the National Library Gallery in the national capital of Canberra, “An Exquisite Eye: The Australian Flora and Fauna Drawings, 1801-1820, of Ferdinand Bauer,” highlighted the exquisite artistry of Ferdinand’s incomparable, monumental contributions to Australia’s natural history. From February 15 to April 21, 2002, Ferdinand's dazzling botanical and zoological depictions were included in an exhibit at Adelaide's Art Gallery of South Australia, "The Encounter, 1802: Art of the Flinders and Baudin Voyages."

Christened by renowned Australian art historian-critic Bernard William Smith (October 3, 1916 - September 2, 2011) as

“the supreme botanical draughtsman, the Leonardo of natural history illustration.”

Ferdinand displayed throughout his career amazing patience and perception in his dedication to producing scientific illustrations of the highest, most precise quality.

All who knew him respected his quiet, unassuming devotion to the full expression of his God-given talents and appreciated his disciplined, amiable personality. Ferdinand's prodigious, spectacular output, much of which was never published, fortunately has been largely preserved.

An encounter with Ferdinand Bauer's artistry promises an impressive display of glorious perfection.

My special thanks to talented artists and photographers/concerned organizations who make their fine images available on the internet.

Joseph Wenzel I (Josef Václav z Lichtenštejna)~1740 oil on canvas by Hyacinthe Rigaud (July 18, 1659-December 29, 1743): Liechtenstein Princely Collection, Public Domain, via Wikimedia Commons @ https://cs.wikipedia.org/wiki/Soubor:Joseph_Wenzel_von_Liechtenstein.jpg

ivyleaf morning glory (Ipomea hederacea): possibly drawn by Ferdinand Bauer: Icones Plantarum Rariorum, Volume I, Public Domain, via Internet Archive @ http://archive.org/stream/mobot31753000507233#page/36/mode/1up

portrait of Nikolaus von Jacquin by Heinrich Füger (Dec 8, 1751-Nov 5, 1818): Public Domain, via Wikimedia Commons @ https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Nikolaus_Joseph_von_Jacquin_2.jpg

Hypericum calycinum: watercolor by Ferdinand Bauer: Flora Graeca (1833), Vol 8, Table 771, opposite page 52, Public Domain, via Wikimedia Commons @ https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Hypericum_calycinum_-_Bauer.jpg

portrait by Austrian engraver/writer Vinzenz Raimund Grüner (1771-1832): Public Domain, via Wikimedia Commons @ https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Vinzenz_Raimund_Grüner_-_Thaddäus_Haenke_ÖNB.jpg

rainbow lorikeet (Trichoglossus moluccanus): Ferdinand Bauer's watercolor from Australia expedition 1801-1803: Public Domain, via Wikimedia Commons @ https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Trichoglossus_moluccanus_-_Bauer.jpg

Hellebores officinalis: watercolor by Ferdinand Bauer from John Sibthorp's east Mediterranean survey March 1786-December 1787: Flora Graeca (1827), Vol 6, Table 523, opposite page. 19, Public Domain, via Wikimedia Commons @ https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Hellebores_officinalis_(Bauer).jpg

Gymea lily (Doryanthes excelsa): one of Ferdinand Bauer's most famous watercolors from Australia expedition 1801-1803: Illustrationes Florae Novae Hollandiae, Public Domain, via Wikimedia Commons @ https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Doryanthes_excelsa_(Illustrationes_Florae_Novae_Hollandiae_plate_13).jpg

Alyogyne hakeifolia: watercolor by Ferdinand Bauer; Natural History Museum, London: Public Domain, via Wikimedia Commons @ https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Alyogyne_hakeifolia_(Bauer),_colorized.jpg

"Passionflowers", 1812 oil on wood panel by Ferdinand Bauer; Art Gallery of South Australia, Adelaide: Public Domain, via Wikimedia Commons @ https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Ferdinand_Bauer_-_Passionflowers_-_Google_Art_Project.jpg

Central Hall of Natural History Museum: Minn Pongpaibul, CC BY SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons @ https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Central_Hall.JPG

baby elephant: Nigel's Europe, CC BY SA 2.0, via Flickr @ https://www.flickr.com/photos/nigel321/3892920592/

autumn foliage in Walled Garden, University of Oxford Botanic Garden: Toby Ord, CC BY-SA 2.5, via Wikimedia Commons @ https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Oxford_Botanic_Garden_in_Autumn_2004.jpg

Digitalis ambigua (now grandiflora): hand-colored engraving of Ferdinand Bauer's drawing for Monographia Digitalium: Public Domain, via Wikimedia Commons @ https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Digitalis_grandiflora_RHS.jpeg

larch (Pinus larix) by Ferdinand Bauer: A.B. Lambert's A Description of the Genus Pinus (1803), Vol. 1, Table 35, Public Domain, via Internet Archive @ https://archive.org/details/mobot31753003472476/page/XXXV/mode/1up

Cape Bauer panorama: named by Matthew Flinders to honor Ferdinand; located on Gibson Peninsula, state of South Australia: Diceman, Public Domain, via Wikimedia Commons @ https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:04_Cape_Bauer_panorama_3.jpg

Phyllopteryx taeniolatus, the Weedy Sea Dragon: Ferdinand Bauer's watercolor from Australia expedition 1801-1803: Public Domain, via Wikimedia Commons @ https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Phyllopteryx_taeniolatus_Bauer.jpg

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Eggli, Urs, and Leonard E. Newton. Etymological Dictionary of Succulent Plant Names. New York: Springer-Verlag, 2004.

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Fox, Celina, ed. London – World City, 1800-1840. New Haven: Yale University Press, 1992.

“Francis Bauer’s ‘Delineations of Exotick Plants.’ Bibliographical Notes XVIII. The Journal of Botany, British and Foreign, Volume 37: 181-183. London: West, Newman & Co., 1899.

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• Available via Biodiversity Heritage Library at: http://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/bibliography/329#/ summary
• Volume I available via Internet Archive at:  http://archive.org/details/mobot31753000507233
• Volume II available via Internet Archive at:  http://archive.org/details/mobot31753000507241
• Volume III available via Internet Archive at:  http://archive.org/details/mobot31753000507258

Kruthoffer, Betsy. “A Brief Publishing History of Flora Graeca.” Lloydiana, Volume 14 No. 1-2 (Winter/Spring 2010): 12-13.

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Lambert, Aylmer Bourke. A Description of the Genus Pinus, Illustrated with Figures, Directions Relative to the Cultivation, and Remarks on the Uses of the Several Species. London: J. White, 1803.

• Available via Internet Archive at:  http://archive.org/details/mobot31753003472476

Lhotsky, John. “Biographical Sketch of Ferdinand Bauer, Natural History Painter to the Expedition of Captain Flinders, R.N., to Terra Australis.” London Journal of Botany, Volume II: 106-113. London: Hippolyte Baillier, Publisher, 1843.

• Available via Biodiversity Heritage Library at:  http://archive.org/details/cbarchive_40148_biographicalsketchofferdinandb1843

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• Available via Internet Archive at:  http://archive.org/details/bulletinofbritis292natu

Mabberley, David, and Pilar de San Pío Aladrén. La carta de colores de Haenke de la Expedición Malaspina: un enigma. Madrid : Real Jardín Botánico, CSIC : Ediciones Doce Callas, 2011.

Moran, Jennifer. "Ferdinand Bauer's Colourful Fish." The National Library Magazine, Volume 1 No. 3 (September 2009): 8-11.

• Available at: http://www.nla.gov.au/pub/nlanews/2009/sep09/sept09.pdf

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• Available at:  http://www.kew.org/news/kew-blogs/economic-botany/Woods-of-the-world.htm

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• Available @ https://www.mascotarios.org/en/lori-arcoiris

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• Available at: http://www.hardyferns.org/webyep-system/program/download.php?FILENAME=23-2-at-download.pdf&ORG_FILENAME=7th_Version_Bauer_Smith_Eyes_Hands_ Hooker_ Genera_ Filicum.pdf.

Watts, Peter. et al. An Exquisite Eye: the Australian Flora and Fauna Drawings 1801-1820 of Ferdinand Bauer. Sydney:  Historic Houses Trust of New South Wales, 1997.

Wrigley, John Walter. Eucalypt Flowers. Canberra: National Library of Australia, 2013.