Three Brothers, Three Continents, One Extraordinary Legacy
Long before photography could capture the natural world, three brothers from the small Moravian town of Feldsberg (today's Valtice) created some of the most scientifically accurate botanical illustrations ever produced.
Their work took them from the gardens of Lednice and Valtice to the Royal Botanic Gardens at Kew, the mountains of Greece, and the unexplored coastlines of Australia—yet their story began here, in the heart of the UNESCO Lednice–Valtice Cultural Landscape.
Franz Bauer: Botanist to the King at Kew
Franz Andreas Bauer (1758–1840) became one of the most celebrated botanical illustrators of his age. He spent the majority of his career at the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, where he served as resident botanical painter — a position created specifically for him by Sir Joseph Banks. For over fifty years, Franz documented the living collections at Kew with a precision and beauty that set the standard for scientific botanical illustration.
His work combined rigorous scientific accuracy with genuine artistic grace. Under the microscope and on the page, Franz revealed the inner architecture of plants in a way that was simultaneously useful to science and breathtaking to the eye. He remained at Kew until his death, leaving behind an unparalleled archive of botanical knowledge rendered in watercolour.
Ferdinand Bauer: The Naturalist Who Sailed to Australia
Ferdinand Lucas Bauer (1760–1826) chose a more adventurous path. He accompanied the botanist John Sibthorp on an expedition to Greece and the Levant, producing illustrations for the monumental Flora Graeca — one of the most ambitious botanical publications of the 18th century.
But Ferdinand's greatest journey was yet to come. In 1801, he sailed with Matthew Flinders on the Investigator — the voyage that would circumnavigate Australia and chart its coastline for the first time. Ferdinand documented the extraordinary flora and fauna of the continent with thousands of meticulous drawings, creating a visual record of a natural world that European science had never seen before. His Illustrationes Florae Novae Hollandiae remains a landmark of natural history illustration.
Did you know?
Ferdinand Bauer produced more than 2,000 field sketches during the Australian expedition and developed his own sophisticated numerical colour-coding system. Rather than applying paint immediately, he carefully sketched each specimen and annotated every part with numbered colour references from a personal palette containing hundreds of precisely defined shades.
Back in his studio, sometimes months or even years later, he could recreate each plant with astonishing accuracy using nothing more than his coded notes. Historians often describe Bauer's method as an early precursor to modern "paint-by-numbers"—not because it simplified painting, but because every number represented a carefully calibrated colour in his own scientific system.
Joseph Bauer: Keeper of the Liechtenstein Collections
Joseph Bauer, the third brother, remained closer to home — and to the family's roots in the Liechtenstein world. He served as curator and keeper of the Liechtenstein collections, helping to steward the extraordinary artistic and natural history holdings of one of Central Europe's most powerful dynasties. His role was quieter than his brothers', but no less vital: without careful custodians, even the greatest collections are lost.
That Joseph held this position speaks to the trust the Liechtenstein family placed in the Bauer name — a trust earned through generations of skill, dedication, and an eye for beauty that all three brothers shared.
Explore the works in our Bauer Brothers collection, and discover how their legacy connects to the broader heritage of Lednice and Valtice.
počet komentářů: 0