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Camellias

Valentine Bartholomew

1840

watercolor

From the collection of Victoria and Albert Museum

British Romanticism Romanticism Early 19th Century Floral

Dominant colour

Camellias is a 1840 watercolor by Valentine Bartholomew, a British Romanticism work, held at Victoria and Albert Museum.

Who painted this?: Valentine Bartholomew
When & what style?: 1840 · British Romanticism
Where can I see it?: Victoria and Albert Museum

About this work

This painting shows a fancy gold frame holding a close-up of flowers. The flowers are bright—pink, white, and red camellias with green leaves. They’re arranged in a small vase on a dark, simple background. The brushstrokes are soft, and the colors look fresh but slightly faded. The artist signed and dated it 1840 on the painting itself. The flowers are the main focus, but the frame is almost as detailed as the artwork. If you like this kind of flower painting, check out Romanticism.

The story of this work

Overview

Valentine Bartholomew specialized in floral still lifes and dominated the genre during his lengthy career, with his wife Anne Turnbull as a notable contemporary. He exhibited frequently at the Old Watercolour Society, where he held membership, and also at the Royal Academy, later becoming Flower Painter to Queen Victoria. Nineteenth-century critics praised his fruit and flower paintings for their lifelike detail and vibrant naturalism, describing them as vivid and dynamic as living garden blooms. His works were noted for their rich colors and delicate realism, evoking the freshness of nature…

Read the full account in the museum source.