Belle-de-Nuit by J.J. Grandville

Belle-de-Nuit by J.J. Grandville

c.1847-1867

Hand-colored Engraving

This hand-colored steel engraving titled “Belle-de-Nuit” by French illustrator and caricaturist J.J. Grandville (1803–1847) was conceived for his 1847 series Les Fleurs Animées (The Flowers Personified) and later issued in a 1867 Paris edition by Garnier Frères based on his original designs. The composition shows four female flower fairies enclosed within a softly arched floral border, each figure rendered as an anthropomorphic fusion of human form and botanical structure. The central figure wears a bell-shaped blossom as a hat and a gown of layered green leaves and purple petals, while the surrounding figures continue the same vegetal transformation. At left, a detailed moth attends the central figure, underscoring the nocturnal character of the scene and the flower’s evening-blooming qualities. 

Les Fleurs Animées is among Grandville’s most celebrated works and reflects the nineteenth-century fascination with personifying nature through illustration and literature. A leading figure in French caricature and book design, Grandville was known for his inventive combinations of human, animal, and botanical imagery that later influenced fantasy illustration and children’s book traditions. In this series, each flower is reimagined as a distinct female character whose visual form reflects the plant’s characteristics, with “Belle-de-Nuit” evoking themes of evening bloom, fragrance, romance, and nocturnal atmosphere. The project is significant for its integration of satire, decorative art, and natural history, exemplifying the period’s imaginative engagement with the living world through anthropomorphic design.

Dimensions: H 10 ¼” x 7”W

Condition: Slight discoloration at edges consistent with age