Floor plan

South wing: ThemesGardens and Botanicals

Gardens and Botanicals

Garden View, Brooklyn, by Fidelia Bridges, ca. 1867
Album leaf
A work made of oil on canvas.
Irises, by Vincent van Gogh, 1890
Poem by Kamo no Chōmei with Underpainting of Cherry Blossoms, by Hon'ami Kōetsu, 1606
Study of a Tulip (Wit en root boode), by Pieter Holsteyn II, c. 1645
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.
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.”

The works in this room are listed below.

Works in this room

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.

First room, north wall

  1. Garden View, Brooklyn, by Fidelia Bridges, ca. 1867
    Garden View, BrooklynFidelia Bridges, ca. 1867Courtesy of The Metropolitan Museum of Art
  2. Album leaf
    Quail and flowersZhao Boju, 18th centuryCourtesy of the National Museum of Asian Art, Smithsonian Institution
  3. A work made of oil on canvas.
    The Vase of TulipsPaul Cézanne, c. 1890Courtesy of the Art Institute of Chicago
  4. Irises, by Vincent van Gogh, 1890
    IrisesVincent van Gogh, 1890Courtesy of The Metropolitan Museum of Art

First room, south wall

  1. Poem by Kamo no Chōmei with Underpainting of Cherry Blossoms, by Hon'ami Kōetsu, 1606
    Poem by Kamo no Chōmei with Underpainting of Cherry BlossomsHon'ami Kōetsu, 1606Courtesy of The Metropolitan Museum of Art
  2. Study of a Tulip (Wit en root boode), by Pieter Holsteyn II, c. 1645
    Study of a Tulip (Wit en root boode)Pieter Holsteyn II, c. 1645Courtesy 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. 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

Second room, south wall

  1. Roses in a Vase, by Pierre-Auguste Renoir, c. 1890
    Roses in a VasePierre-Auguste Renoir, c. 1890Courtesy of the Cleveland Museum of Art
  2. 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
  3. A work made of engraving in black ink with opaque and translucent watercolor on cream laid paper.
    July, from Twelve Months of FlowersHenry Fletcher, n.d.Courtesy of the Art Institute of Chicago
  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. 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. 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

Third room, north wall

  1. Cherry Blossoms in the Wind, by Utagawa Toyokuni, late 1790s
    Cherry Blossoms in the WindUtagawa Toyokuni, late 1790sCourtesy of the Cleveland Museum of Art
  2. Birds and Flowers, by Kano Mitsunobu, late 1500s
    Birds and FlowersKano Mitsunobu, late 1500sCourtesy of the Cleveland Museum of Art