"Born in 1772, this French artist was a student of Pierre Joseph Redouté and the delicacy and detail contained in Bessa's engravings show that Redouté's influence rubbed off onto his work.
Bessa's favourite subject matters were fruit and flowers, although occasionally he painted birds. In 1816 the Duchess de Berry took him under her wing and he gave her painting lessons with the de Berry family, whose links with art extended back to the Duc de Berry and the magnificent Book of Hours.
Bessa died in 1835 and his botanical studies are still enormously respected today."
