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Gardens and Botanicals

Flowers were studied before they were painted for pleasure, and the two impulses run together here: the botanist's careful plate, the gardener's border, the still life cut from a summer morning. Most of these works were made to record a plant exactly; many ended up as much admired for their colour.

24 works · hang 8748 ·

The rooms are imagined; every work on their walls is real.

Walk this roomRehang this room

First room, north wall

  1. Irises, by Vincent van Gogh, 1890
    IrisesVincent van Gogh, 1890Courtesy of The Metropolitan Museum of Art
  2. A bouquet of flowers against a dark brown background hangs from a sapphire-blue bow to fill this vertical still life painting. The three largest blooms make a pyramid at the center. A pale pink, flat-leaved carnation is to the lower right of this trio. A red and white striped tulip with flame-shaped petals is next to it, to our right, and a white viburnum bloom, which is made of dozens of smaller clusters, is above. A tan-colored spider builds a web at the center of these three blossoms. Using the face of a clock to work around this trio, we find a spotted bug on a smaller viburnum and some frosty green leaves at noon. A muted orange moth rests on a stalk nearby. Down the right side, the layered vivid blue petals of a love-in-the-mist explode like a starburst. Two coral-red peonies, a mostly closed peony, a topaz-blue morning glory, and the fuzzy fingers of amaranth bring us to six o’clock. Up the left side are delicate pink crab apple blossoms, a spray of Chinese lanterns, a yellow rose with ants crawling across its splayed petals, a striped morning glory, and a few blue, orange, and red buds. A caterpillar rears up on a Chinese lantern bud and a ladybug sits on a leaf nearby. A few stalks of wheat are scattered throughout. Stems weave through the blue ribbon at the top, which is tied around a protruding nail. The artist signed the lower left corner, “AB Mignon f,” with the AB conjoined in a monogram.
    A Hanging Bouquet of FlowersAbraham Mignon, probably 1665/1670Courtesy National Gallery of Art, Washington
  3. A vertical painting of a bundle of many types of flowers set in a vase-like vessel. The bottom of this vessel contains netted rope through which many blossoms can be seen. A plethora of blooms and leaves extend upward from the top of the vessel.
    Flowers of the Four SeasonsUnrecorded Chinese maker, Qing dynasty (1644–1911), 18th/19th centuryCourtesy of the Art Institute of Chicago
  4. A scene with seven men and women gathered around an infant is enclosed in an eight-sided, octagonal painted frame, which is surrounded by a wreath of flowers in this vertical painting. The painted black frame-within-a-frame resembles molding. The people in the scene have pale skin and wear robes in shades of teal blue, burnt orange, red, muted purple, or red. A woman reaching for the bed on which the child lies and the child have gold halos. Others crouch or bend toward the child, and one pair, to our left, turn toward each other, presumably talking. The nighttime-blue sky is streaked with nickel-gray clouds beyond a partially ruined stone arch. A lamb with all four feet tired together lies at the foot of the child’s bed. The wreath surrounding the painting-within-a-painting is dense with tulips, roses, daffodils, poppies, violets, and other flowers and greenery painted in shades of lemon and butter yellow, opal and pearl white, brick and coral red, and sky and slate blue against an inky-black background. One artist signed the painting-within-a-painting near the bottom left corner, “FF F.” The second artist who painted this signed his initials, “HDB”, on the bottom edge of the painted frame.
    Garland of Flowers with Adoration of the ShepherdsFrans Francken the Younger, c. 1625/1630Courtesy National Gallery of Art, Washington

First room, south wall

  1. Still Life with Flowers, a Snail and Insects, by Joris Hoefnagel, 1589
    Still Life with Flowers, a Snail and InsectsJoris Hoefnagel, 1589Courtesy of The Metropolitan Museum of Art
  2. Roses in a Vase, by Pierre-Auguste Renoir, c. 1890
    Roses in a VasePierre-Auguste Renoir, c. 1890Courtesy of the Cleveland Museum of Art
  3. The image shows a child standing upright, facing forward. They have fair skin, rounded cheeks, short reddish-brown hair, and are wearing a white dress with lace details and a pink ribbon, white pants with lace trim, blue shoes, a red necklace and a heart-shaped pendant. They hold a light pink rose in their left hand and a small black drawstring purse with red accents in their right hand. The background is a gradient from dark green to light green, with a floral-patterned carpet in black, brown, and red on the floor.
    Girl with Reticule and RoseJoseph Whiting Stock, c. 1840Courtesy National Gallery of Art, Washington
  4. Portrait of a Young Girl with Rose, by Oliver Tarbell Eddy, ca. 1838
    Portrait of a Young Girl with RoseOliver Tarbell Eddy, ca. 1838Courtesy of the Smithsonian American Art Museum

Second room, south wall

  1. A Rose, by Thomas Anshutz, 1907
    A RoseThomas Anshutz, 1907Courtesy of The Metropolitan Museum of Art
  2. Gathered in a round glass vase, a tall bouquet of flowers in shades of light and deep pink, sunshine yellow, and white with pine-green leaves nearly fills this vertical still life painting. Shown against an gray background, the vase sits on a narrow ledge, perhaps made of wood. A label with looping, cursive French text painted in gold against a baby blue background is affixed to the front of the ledge, along the bottom edge of the composition. The text reads, “C'est l'Angelicq main du grad Peinctre de Flore AMBROISE, renommé jusqu' au Rivage Moré.” A few of the flowers draw the eye, including a tulip and iris at the top of the bouquet. To our left, the tulip is mauve pink with cream-colored streaks, and one petal folds down to reveal the stamen inside. Next to it, a damselfly, an insect like a delicate dragonfly, rests on the vibrant yellow iris. The petals curling down from the iris are veined in muted burgundy red. Flowers filling in the bouquet below include a shell-pink cyclamen, a white gardenia, a closed blue and white striped columbine, a slate-blue grape hyacinth, lily of the valley, pale blue forget-me-nots, and a pink peony interspersed with leaves and greenery. The round glass vase has a narrow opening. A sprig of viola rests to our left of the vase on the ledge, and an orange, black, white, and brown butterfly perches on the stem of a pink cyclamen laying to our right of the vase. The artist signed the painting with a monogram and dated it in dark paint to our right on the face of the ledge: “AB 1621.”
    Bouquet of Flowers in a Glass VaseAmbrosius Bosschaert, 1621Courtesy National Gallery of Art, Washington
  3. Still Life with Fan and Roses, by Thomas Hovenden, 1874
    Still Life with Fan and RosesThomas Hovenden, 1874Courtesy of the Smithsonian American Art Museum
  4. A work made of opaque watercolor and gold on paper.
    Holi Festival in a Walled Garden with CelebrantsUnrecorded Indian maker, c. 1764Courtesy of the Art Institute of Chicago

Second room, north wall

  1. The image shows a central person standing with both arms raised. They have a long beard, aged appearance, long hair, and wear a robe. Three other individuals are around them, reclining or lying on the ground. The setting is an outdoor scene with detailed trees and vegetation. There are initials "I.SP" in the top right corner.
    The Agony in the GardenSebald Beham, 1522Courtesy National Gallery of Art, Washington
  2. Album leaf
    Quail and flowersZhao Boju, 18th centuryCourtesy of the National Museum of Asian Art, Smithsonian Institution

Third room, north wall

  1. Birds and Flowers, by Kano Mitsunobu, late 1500s
    Birds and FlowersKano Mitsunobu, late 1500sCourtesy of the Cleveland Museum of Art
  2. Paulownias and Chrysanthemums, by Sakai Hōitsu, early 1800s
    Paulownias and ChrysanthemumsSakai Hōitsu, early 1800sCourtesy of the Cleveland Museum of Art