This was originally part of an album of 250 drawings by the artist, known as the "Le Recueil des Plantes", and now in the collection of Mrs. Paul Mellon. On the title-page was pasted a portrait of the artist executed by his younger brother Augustin, which is also in the collection of the Library (Acc. No. 1956-12).
Lettered, at top, "A LA NATURE"; in small cartouche, "1740"; in large cartouche, "PLANTES / ET / FLEURS NATUR / Par Saint Aubin"; at bottom, "1740"; inscribed possibly in the hand of Pierre Antoine Tardieu, in pen, at lower right, "Portrait de Charles Germain de Saint Aubin auteur de ce livre / dessiné en 1767 à l'âge de 46 ans par Augustin de Saint Aubin / son frere; collé sur le premier titre de ce livre".
Watermark: Two lines of text, each in a cartouche, letter "P"( fleur-de-lis) CASSON (?) MOYEN, AUVERGNE, somewhat illegible as lead white on drawing disrupts image on beta radiograph.
Saint-Aubin, Charles Germain de, 1721-1786, former owner.
Dounebecq, Mme, (Marie-Françoise de Saint-Aubin), former owner.
Tardieu, Pierre-Antoine, former owner.
Destailleur, Hippolyte Alexandre Gabriel Walter, 1822-1893, former owner.
Rothschild, Alphonse, baron de, former owner.
Adams, Frederick B., Jr. Eighth Annual Report to the Fellows of the Pierpont Morgan Library. New York : Pierpont Morgan Library, 1958, p. 77.
Pierpont Morgan Library. Review of Acquisitions, 1949-1968. New York : Pierpont Morgan Library, 1969, p. 168.
"Flowers in Books and Drawings, ca. 940-1840", New York, The Pierpont Morgan Library, catalogue by Helen B. Mules, 1980, no. 96.
Denison, Cara D. French Drawings, 1550-1825. New York : Pierpont Morgan Library, 1984, no. 116.
Denison, Cara D. French Master Drawings in the Pierpont Morgan Library. New York : Pierpont Morgan Library, 1993, no. 60, repr. in color.