Anonymous
1840s
Wash on paper, original period frames
Height 24" (61 cm) Width 30" (76.2 cm) each, including frames
Provenance: Tom Delach, Boston, MA
Victoria amazonica, the giant Amazonian water lily, captured the imagination of Victorian Britain with unusual intensity. John Lindley's classification in 1837 named the plant in honor of Queen Victoria, and the race to cultivate it in Britain became a matter of national prestige, drawing investment from the Duke of Devonshire and the Duke of Northumberland alike. Joseph Paxton finally achieved a successful bloom at Chatsworth in November 1849, a moment so widely celebrated that the structure of the lily pad became the basis for his later glasshouse designs, including the Crystal Palace.
These two works were made in the years immediately surrounding that moment of cultural fervor, when Victoria amazonica was at the height of its hold on the botanical and popular imagination. The wash technique conveys the scale and luminosity of the lily pad with directness and care. The pair retains its original period frames, an uncommon preservation that speaks to the sustained regard in which they have been held.
We ship free anywhere in the world, fully insured, packed by hand.
Anonymous
1840s
Wash on paper, original period frames
Height 24" (61 cm) Width 30" (76.2 cm) each, including frames
Provenance: Tom Delach, Boston, MA
Victoria amazonica, the giant Amazonian water lily, captured the imagination of Victorian Britain with unusual intensity. John Lindley's classification in 1837 named the plant in honor of Queen Victoria, and the race to cultivate it in Britain became a matter of national prestige, drawing investment from the Duke of Devonshire and the Duke of Northumberland alike. Joseph Paxton finally achieved a successful bloom at Chatsworth in November 1849, a moment so widely celebrated that the structure of the lily pad became the basis for his later glasshouse designs, including the Crystal Palace.
These two works were made in the years immediately surrounding that moment of cultural fervor, when Victoria amazonica was at the height of its hold on the botanical and popular imagination. The wash technique conveys the scale and luminosity of the lily pad with directness and care. The pair retains its original period frames, an uncommon preservation that speaks to the sustained regard in which they have been held.
We ship free anywhere in the world, fully insured, packed by hand.
