(German, 1708-1770)

Illustration of the catalpa (Catalpa bignonioides) in bloom, signed and inscribed "Bignonia foliis, flore sordide/albo intus maculis purpureis & luteis/adsperso, Siliqua longissima & angustissima/Catesb./G.D. Ehret. pinxt"; pencil, watercolor and bodycolor on vellum, 20-7/8 x 14-1/4. (522 x 368 mm.); gilt wood frame, 24-1/4 x 17-5/8 x 1-5/8 in.

Provenance: Earls of Coventry at Croome Court, Croome D’abitot, Worcestershire, probably commissioned by William Coventry, the fifth earl of Coventry (1676-1751); W. Graham Arader III, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, purchased in 2001 (accompanied by facsimiles of the receipt and correspondence with the gallery); Estate of Richard and Shirley Roberts, Virginia Beach, Virginia

Literature: Deanne Levison, "Living with Antiques: A Collection on the Chesapeake Bay", The Magazine Antiques (December 2001), p. 811, pl. XII.

Note: Though historically identified as a Bignonia, this species is actually the Southern catalpa (Catalpa bignonioides), a tree native to Virginia and the southeastern United States. It was first documented in the 1720s by naturalist and plant explorer Mark Catesby, whose illustration and description of its "spreading bunches of tubulous flowers, White, only variegated with a few reddish purple spots and yellow streaks on the inside" closely correspond to Ehret's depiction (flore sordide albo intus maculis purpureis & luteis). Catalpas were a familiar feature of the colonial landscape and are documented as lining Williamsburg's Palace Green during the eighteenth century.

Thomas Jefferson also admired the species, including it in his 1771 planting plan for "The Open Ground on the West-a shrubbery" at Monticello. While serving as President, he further demonstrated his appreciation by arranging for seeds of the "Bignonia Catalpa" (Catalpa bignonioides) to be sent to his Parisian friend, Madame de Tessé.

References: Graham Arader Gallery and Colonial Williamsburg