Georg Dionysius Ehret - Carnations, J. Paul Getty Museum

This large AI-assisted collection comprises about 60,000 images of botanical drawings and illustrations. It spans from the 14th to 19th century. As of today, we estimate the total number of botanical illustrations in our archive as 200,000 and growing. The "golden age" of botanical illustration is generally considered to be the 18th and 19th centuries, a time when there was a great deal of interest in botany and a proliferation of botanical illustrations being produced. During this period, many of the great botanical illustrators of the time, such as Maria Sybilla Merian, Pierre-Joseph Redouté, and John James Audubon, were active and produced some of the most iconic and influential botanical illustrations of all time. In addition to being used for scientific purposes, botanical illustrations were also highly prized for their beauty and were often used to decorate homes and other public spaces. Many of the most famous botanical illustrations from this period are still admired and collected today for their beauty and historical significance. All large Picryl collections were made possible with the development of neural image recognition. We made our best to reduce false-positive image recognition to under 5%.

Ehret was born in Heidelberg, Germany in 1708 and showed an early interest in botany. He began his career as a gardener and worked in various botanical gardens throughout Europe, including those in Heidelberg, Vienna and London. Ehret's talent for botanical illustration was recognised early on and he soon became known for his detailed and accurate depictions of plants. His work was much sought after by botanists and naturalists, and he was commissioned to illustrate many of the important botanical works of the day. One of Ehret's most notable contributions to botany was his depiction of the sexual organs of plants, which had never before been illustrated in such detail. He also made significant contributions to the study of insect morphology, and his illustrations of insects are still highly regarded today. Ehret's work was not only scientifically important but also aesthetically beautiful. His illustrations are characterised by their delicate lines, vibrant colours and attention to detail. He is considered one of the most important botanical illustrators of the 18th century. Ehret died in London in 1770, leaving a legacy of scientific and artistic achievement. His illustrations continue to inspire botanists and artists alike, and his name is still synonymous with excellence in botanical illustration.