Painting by Numbers

Ferdinand Bauer is seen by many as the greatest natural history painter of all time. Hand-picked by Joseph Banks in 1801-05, Bauer accompanied Matthew Flinders during his circumnavigation of Australia, and lived in New South Wales and Norfolk Island. Already celebrated in Europe for the precision and beauty of his paintings, it was during this commission that Bauer perfected the technique of sketching and colour-coding in the field, and then colouring later - painting by numbers. This fascinating new study of Bauer's work includes reproductions of never-before-published works from collections in Europe and Australia. Written by one of the world's foremost botanical scholars, Painting by Numbers reveals Bauer's innovative colour-coding technique for the first time. Sales Points: Ties in with the Painting by Numbers online exhibition at the State Library of NSW, launching in November ; beautifully designed and produced book packed with stunning illustrations, many never before published ; reveals fascinating new information and insights about Bauer and his `painting by numbers' technique ; one of the world's foremost botanical scholars on the life and work of perhaps the greatest natural history painter of all time.