review by Sammy Gelerman
Tucked inside Isabella Stewart
Gardner’s four story mansion filled with a garden, various art from around the
world, and a beautiful skylight lays the book, The Secret Language of Flowers by Jean-Michel Othonie. It catches
visitor’s eyes, and its pages consists of different depictions of flowers. This
book is on the third floor, sitting on a bench near Isabella’s self-portrait.
The bench was across an opening that overlooked the luxurious garden. It
connects to the room because her display of art was more than a culture,
religion, style or showing of self-admiration. Jean-Michel Othoniel lived in
the museum during 2012, and he took photos of the flowers in the architecture,
paintings, tapestries, and other pieces. He designed the list of flowers that
are included in the book. Each page in the book was dedicated to a different
flower and discusses the hidden meanings of flowers in art.
In this book of flowers, the red
rose expresses the passion of Christ. This, as well as the lily, form a symbol
of the earths gratitude for the blood spilled by Christ. The purple rose is
believed to have emerged after the death of Aphrodite’s (Goddess of love) lover,
Adonis. His blood produced the first red rose, so the purple rose is a symbol
of loves power to conquer death and a symbol of rebirth. The white rose is a
symbol for beauty, purity, and love. The pink rose is said by Saint Thérèse of
Lisieux, “I will send down a shower of roses from the heaven.” The small
periwinkle
In this
book, the flowers reveal a story about their history and meaning that help
piece together the essence of the artwork they are found in throughout the
house. This book is one of the many highlights of rich history that this museum
has to offer. A visit is definitely worth the experience, as you are sure to be
satisfied with your walk through Isabelle Stewart Gardeners home.
No comments:
Post a Comment