Botanical paintings can be seen to emerge in Europe from three converging artistic traditions: the first is that of manuscript illumination in religious and scientific volumes; the second is the recording of exotic and native flora, fauna and cultures, which was the artistic expression of the late sixteenth-century fascination with exploration and scientific investigation; and the third is the purely aesthetic love of flowers and gardens which was so apparent in Elizabethan court culture.

Jacques Le Moyne’s ‘Apple’ (below) is a beautiful example of the intricate detail expressed by this form of art, which is almost photographic in quality.