Flora Symbolica: Flowers in Pre-Raphaelite Art

by Debra N. Mancoff

This stunning bouquet of romantic paintings brings together two important aspects of Victorian life—the pre-Raphaelite movement and the language of flowers—in one exquisite volume. Few artistic movements capture classic notions of beauty as romantically as the Pre-Raphaelites—a group of nineteenth-century painters and poets who aimed to revive the purer art of the late medieval period. Brilliantly colored and carefully composed, pre-Raphaelite paintings are revered for their idealistic portrayal of women, their emphasis on nature and morality, and their use of literature and mythology. Flowers figure prominently in many of these paintings, the blooms as physically lush as they are laden with symbolism. For this was the Victorian era, when the language of flowers was spoken by everyone. In this beautiful volume, Debra N. Mancoff, an expert on Pre-Raphaelite art and the floral lexicon presents forty breathtaking examples, which illuminate the meaning of flowers in all aspects of Victorian culture. She offers brief commentaries on individual paintings as well as biographies of the period’s leading artists and their models. A captivating introduction to an artistic movement, this exquisitely produced book is also a romantic keepsake of an artistic sensibility that speaks volumes.

Genres: Art, Nonfiction

96 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2003

Reviews

[Grace · Rating 4 out of 5]

The concept of this book was better than its execution. The idea of exploring floral symbolism in Pre-Raphaelite art is wonderful, but I have two major gripes. First, with all the gorgeous Pre-Raphaelite pieces to choose from, I am curious to know why so many of the artworks selected weren't even really Pre-Raphaelite. Second, of the artworks chosen, not all of them had the floral symbolism explained...sometimes whole artworks full of flowers would have text accompanying it that was merely about the artist, or some other tale. I was left feeling a bit disappointed at the end of the book...it could have been much better.

However, for what it was, it was rather interesting, even if it could have been a lot better.