THE LIBRARY. ^79 



these designs have the advantage over those for- 

 merly executed, of presenting in detail all the 

 characteristic parts. 



The oldest artist that contributed to the col- 

 lection, Nicolas Robert, who worked for Gaston 

 of Orleans, and for whom subsequently the situ- 

 ation of painter to the king's cabinet was created, 

 was never surpassed in the style he adopted. 

 His paintings in water-colours are remarkably 

 delicate, of great fidelity, and though now a 

 hundred and fifty years old, they have lost none 

 of their brilliancy of colouring : there are five 

 hundred of them in the portfolios. The designs 

 of Aubriet, more numerous than those of Robert, 

 are less highly finished, but are very true to na- 

 ture. He accompanied Tournefort in his voyage 

 to the Levant, and drew on the spot many new 

 plants. Ry publishing these designs with de- 

 scriptions formed upon the herbarium of Tour- 

 nefort, M. Desfontaines has made known those 

 plants that were only indicated by a corollary (1). 



During the old age of Aubriet, and after his 

 death, less attention was paid to the collection ; 

 but it received new lustre at the nomination of 

 M. Van Spaendonck. The works of this cele- 



(1) The work of M. DesFontaines at first inserted in our Annals, 

 has since been separately published under the title of a Selection of 

 Plants from the corollary of To time fort, 1 vol. 4*0. Paris, 1808. 



5 7 . 



