Lillium Pomponium (Turban Lily), plate 7 from Les Liliacées
1809
From the collection of Cleveland Museum of Art
1809
From the collection of Cleveland Museum of Art
You see a single turban lily, petals curled back like a dancer’s skirt, painted in soft pink and white. This is one page from an eight-volume book of lilies. Each plate was printed in color, then hand-painted to look alive. The artist worked for French royalty, but the book was made for anyone who loved flowers. To see more flowers like this, look up the technique of stipple engraving.
