The rose has been revered for millions of years as a symbol of
love and beauty and has been an inspiration to poets and painters. Empress Josephine (1763-1814), wife of
Napoleon was so enamored by them, she commissioned Pierre Redoute to paint them
from her garden at Malmaison in France and immortalized in his book ‘Les Roses’
(1817-1824).
Throughout the centuries, artists had chosen the Rose, the Queen
of Flowers, as the subject of their art.
Artists use roses in their painting either as a single specimen, in a
bouquet of flowers or in the landscape.
Manet’s Roses in a Champagne Glass
only portrayed roses. A calendar
engraving by H. Fletcher in 1731 for the month of May contained a bouquet of
different flowers. The list includes Cinnamon
Rose and Yellow Austrian Rose. During
the Baroque period, painters included the rose in their landscape
painting.
In the early days of Christianity, the rose fell out of favor
because of its association with pagan rituals but later on became the symbol of
the Blessed Virgin Mary as the “Mystical Rose”.
The Christian mystics referred to the five petals of the red rose with
the five wounds of Christ. Later
beautiful stained glass rose windows adorned the great cathedrals of
Europe. The famous Wilton Diptych, c.
1395 depicted a double rose on the two painted panels. Also the millefleur tapestry known as The Hunting of the Unicorn, c. 1500
shows more than 100 flowers including centifolia roses.
The Middle Ages ends between the fourteenth and the sixteenth
centuries and then the Western world entered a new era called the
Renaissance. Fifteenth century artists
engaged in painting allegorical or mythical subject matters with roses
incorporated into the landscape.
Renaissance painter Sandro Botticelli (1444-1510), a favorite of the
Medici, Florence’s ruling family painted the famous painting, The Birth of Venus, c. 1480-1485 and Primavera c. 1482 featuring the rose.
Primavera
Venus at the center of the painting
surrounded by Cupid above her, Mercury and the Three Graces to her right,
Zephyrus to her right chasing the nymph Chloris and Flora who was scattering
rose petals on the lawn. In another
famous painting of Botticelli, The Birth
of Venus, c. 1480-1485, the rose was also featured.
The Birth of Venus
Here
at Rose Gardening World, we’ll
educate you about the Rose - our National
Floral Emblem and the state flower of several states. Welcome to Rose
Gardening World where Rose Gardening
Tips, Rose Growing Advice, Planning a Rose Garden, Rose Descriptions, Where to
Buy Roses, Where to see Rose Gardens, Rose Culture, Rose History, Rose Events,
Rose Verses are all here in one place. So, plant a rose today!
Roses are easy plants to grow contrary to
popular belief. Why do you think Roses have
been around for millions of years? All they need are food, water and
sunlight. Just like you and me. We want to help you grow Beautiful Roses!
We
are constantly updating our contents so visit Rose Gardening World often
and be a follower. We welcome
comments. Take time and smell the roses. Happy Rose Gardening!
Check my other blogs:
- YES, YOU CAN GROW BEAUTIFUL ROSES
- KNOCK OUT ROSES
- EARTHKIND ROSES
- OSO EASY ROSES
- OSO HAPPY ROSES
- ROSE SUPPLIERS
- WILL THERE BE A SHORTAGE OF ROSES IN 2012?
- PLANTING BARE-ROOT ROSES
- CLEANING ROSE PRUNERS BLADES
- PRUNING YOUR ROSES
- AARS WINNER FOR 2012
- DAVID AUSTIN ROSES
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