The Pre-Raphaelite Language of Flowers

by Debra Mancoff

This exquisite collection of paintings illustrates just how marvelously the Pre- Raphaelites’ focus on the natural world intersected with the Victorian passion for all things botanical.

Short-lived but highly influential, the Pre-Raphaelite movement was fueled by a rejection of academic artistic conventions and a longing for the aesthetic simplicity and moral sincerity of medieval and early Renaissance art. But it also coincided with a Victorian obsession with botany, gardening and flower arranging. As a result, painters such as Rosetti, Millais and Hughes populated their works with floral symbols that were steeped in religious and cultural significance. This stunning book examines the greatest of these works, including portraits of Hamlet’s Ophelia, the Virgin Mary, and figures from Greek mythology and medieval lore. Each entry features a full-page reproduction of the painting, accompanied by smaller details and an engaging text that offers fascinating background and contextual clues to deepen readers’ appreciation of the Pre- Raphaelite language.
As lush and colorful as a late summer bouquet, this book is the perfect gift for lovers of flowers as well as for fans of romantic Victorian art.

Genres: Art, Nonfiction, Pre Raphaelite, Art History

96 pages, Hardcover

First published September 25, 2012

Reviews

[Monika · Rating 4 out of 5]

A really sweet book for all fans of the Pre-Raphaelites. I only wish it was a bit longer (I can think of several important Pre-Raphaelite paintings featuring flowers which could have been analyzed) and that each analysis was a little lengthier, but overall a charming and interesting read!

[Samuel Valentino · Rating 4 out of 5]

An interesting take on Pre-Raphaelite painting, that is exactly what it says it is - a focus on the flowers and their symbolism in their work. Not only is the text informative, but the art assembled to showcase it is superb. One of the more interesting parts was an analysis of a Rossetti painting - there was honeysuckle for passion, and monkshood for poison, indicating the dangerous nature of his infatuation. Or so it would have meant, had Rossetti known his flowers - Rossetti's brother said that he had meant to paint larkspur for longevity, but he didn't know enough botany to get the right flower for the model!

[Anja Fruelund · Rating 4 out of 5]

Easy and interesting read on the symbolism of flowers and their significance in the narrative of the picture. It really added depth to some of my favourite pre-raphaelites along with a brief background story on the pictures.

[Lauren Kourafas · Rating 4 out of 5]

I have a different print/edition than this one, but I found it to be a good source of bite size information for some of the more famous artists and craftspeople of the time! Definitely not a full overlook of Pre-Raphaelite artwork however if you’re looking to dip your toes into that and analysis of paintings it’s a great start!

A few gripes with the printing itself was that there were several spacing errors throughout the text (no space, too much space, or a combination of lol) and I wish that some of the paintings weren’t printed so that it got caught in the binding because I found it took away from the image as a whole.

Overall I love the explanations and the overall book design, just got knocked down a star for the above mentioned issues.

[Heidi · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love Pre-Raphaelite paintings. I love flowers. Needless to say, I greatly enjoyed reading this book- both for the aesthetics and the information. The paintings chosen were absolutely gorgeous- and the research was quite enlightening.

[Sally · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really interesting to view the Pre-Raphaelites focusing on their use of symbolism with flowers! Provoked a lot of thoughts for me.

[Maria · Rating 4 out of 5]

10 for illustrations, 4 for texts (they're okay but I wanted more). Also features the craziest Rosetti painting I've seen.