Flowers

A small, exquisite hardback exploring flowers in painting through the National Gallery's collection

Many artists choose the subject of flowers in order to showcase their technical skills, or simply to celebrate the beauty of nature. But the history of flower painting is far older and richer than the depiction of still lifes: from the twelfth century, flowers such as lilies and irises appeared in devotional paintings as symbols of the Virgin Mary’s purity, and over time they have developed their own allegorical language.

This book explores flowers in painting across centuries and genres through the lens of the National Gallery collection

Details

• Author: Lea Viehweger, Curatorial Assistant for Late Medieval Art at the Germanisches Nationalmuseum, Nuremberg.
• Hardcover: 144 pages | 120 colour illustrations
• Date published: October 2026
• Language: English
• ISBN: 9781857097504
• Product Dimensions: 17.5 x 17.5 cm