A Guide to Flower Arrangeing


Fig.  1 - Grecian bridal scene on terra cotta – 5th Century B.C.

Flower arranging has been done down through the ages, from as early as the Han era (207 BC - 220 AD) to present day.   Greek terra cotta depicting flower arrangements 1 (Fig.  1), Egyptian vases specifically designed for floral arrangements 2 (Fig.  2), Romans with their professional Wreath Makers all loved the color and beauty that flowers lend. 3

My studies have not turned up anything from the dark ages, but I feel this to be just a matter of study, which time will provide.   Any help or pointers here would be appreciated.   Though from what I have found there was a definite decline in floral arranging directly after the fall of Rome. 4


Fig.  2 - Wall Decoration of a Lotus Filled Vase - Bemi Hasan Egypt 2500 BC

As the Dark Ages waned and the Middle Ages began, things started to change, art began to flourish everywhere.  Gardens reflected these changes; flowers were grown more for their beauty, not just for their medicinal purposes.  

We also see evidence of flowers arranged in many different styles, sizes, and type containers.   Glass, marble, metal, and earthenware were materials used for Vases.  Often I have found that just a pitcher or ewer was used.  

Styles resemble those done in the Greek era; cone or "A" symmetrical and later became a little freer in their styles, as shown in the picture on the right.  

Most all the flowers used/grown during this time are also grown today.   5 Some, such as Roses have been highly hybridized to give us more and longer lasting flowers and to make them more useable in arrangements, but they are visually very similar flowers.

I have found many painting and illuminated manuscripts showing that flowers were used in arrangements. 6

 

 

The cover of Gerard's Herball has flowers in all different kind of pots and vases flanking the Title, decorating the highly important cover page.  

Gerard also makes mention of certain flowers right for "decking up" the house.  Pages 1043 (Mede-sweet), page1095 (Columbine) page 599 (Sweet Williams) are a few examples. 7


 

There are two paintings that particularly fascinate me: The portraits of Sir Thomas Moore and Family.8 This one I believe to be the original by Hans Holbein painted in 1530:

The other painting of Sir Thomas Moore and Family9 is said to be a copy done by Rowland Lockey done in the later 1500s:

Looking closely at, and comparing the two pictures we see that many things have been changed and added.  People have been added and the background has been changed considerably.  But upon closer look at the flower arrangement on the mantle beside the books, in the white ewer, this arrangement did not change significantly from the earlier picture (near right10) to the later copy (far right11).   It was familiar to the later artist as the earlier, and so survived the copying intact.

Note also that the additional flower arrangement on the right side of the newer portrait is of the same basic style, flowers in a pitcher, but are a little more even going up, reflecting a possible change in taste.12

(As a side note: Looking at the young man in the doorway staring at the other older man (maybe his father?) and the way the young man is "fingering" his sword.  Ahhh young people... J)

 

Creating the Floral Arrangement

Before an arrangement is started there are a few things to be considered first.

  1. What will the arrangement be used for
  2. Consider the space where the arrangement will be used.
  3. Total Cost.
  4. Container to use
  5. Flowers to be used

Materials I used

  • 2 hand thrown pots/vases
  • clippers/scissors used for flowers
  • real flowers, iris, lilly, tulip, carnation, gypsophilia, greens
  • silk flowers, iris, lilly, tulip, carnation, gypsophilia, greens
  • water for the real flowers

Now for the fun part!

First I needed to obtain the vase, so I did the period thing and went to a master potter, Master Hroar, and had the white ewer made somewhat similar in design to the earlier Thomas Moore portrait.   Remember that no two pots are the same.

Next I decided what flowers to use by reading what Blacker and other books say about these portraits and looking at the paintings themselves.   The flowers would normally have come from the garden of the home, estate, or a grower.   Since these flowers are not growing in my garden due to the time of year, I went to a florist and purchased what flowers I needed.   I also decided at this time to use a few different flowers (artist's license J), but those still found in Gerard's Herball.

I had started out thinking I would copy the arrangement in the Thomas Moore portrait.   But looking at it closer I decided just to base my arrangement on it and then branch out with my own artistic style.  My pots look a little different than the one in the later portrait, but the earlier portrait has a vase with 2 handles.  This difference may be due to the position of the vase, but I suspect the artist was underpaid.   I felt that the vase would have 2 handles and so told Master Hroar to slap (technical term) 2 handles on the vase (Hans Holbein was a stickler for details).   If you look at the other vase in the newer portrait, it looks to be a pitcher, and I have seen numerous other examples of this example.

I knew I could not get the columbines and narcices in the portrait at this time of year and I also wanted to use flowers that would be a little sturdier so they would hold up better in the heat of the A&S competition.  I tried to choose flowers that bloom at the same time of the year.   So I used lilies, iris, tulips, carnations, ferns, and gypsophilia.   The only flower that may be a discrepancy to this could be the carnations, as they are more of a summer flower while the others are spring bloomers.   The tulips are the most delicate flowers, but I wanted to add some nice yellow to brighten things up.  

To me, the portrait arrangement looked a little sparse and my victims like fuller arrangements, from experience.   So I added a few more flowers and some filler (gypsophilia) as I began to create this monster from the depths of my depraved and tortured imagination.   It is getting late at night now...

I try to start with using some greens as a base and background.

As you begin to select flowers and prepare them for placement in your arrangement, you should remove as much of the leaves that will be below the water because they rot and your flowers will die quickly.

Also be sure to make fresh cuts of your stems diagonally before placing in the arrangement.

Then I try to decide what I want to use as a focal point.  I decided that a pink carnation would be the focal point.   This will go in the most prominent spot usually the center and towards the front.   I will insert this flower later.

 

I next tried to pick the tallest lily and put that in the center back.  I next picked a shorter one and placed this on the side and the shortest one went in front.   Just stand the plants on the table and see which is taller.

I then place an iris on either side of the lily and one to the side of the shortest front lily.   The tulips are artfully placed at the bottom and sides of the arrangement, so that when they open they will be best seen.

I placed the canations in next, one in the back between the tall lily and iris on the left side and then placed the center "focal" point carnation, one in the front, to the right and another a little to the side and to the left of the front lily.  

 

 

Next I added the gypsophilia.  Add water and there you have a flower arrangement!

 

 

I also made a copy version of this out of silk flowers and greens.   Just in case this may go to kingdom, since we are not allowed to change the project entered, and alas, the live flowers would be long gone by then.

 

As you can see, the silk arrangement on the right has more fully opened flowers.   This is because the picture on the left had to be taken a day in advance of the competition for this paper to be published.   Not all of the flowers are fully opened in the real arrangement, and silks can only approximate the beauty of flowers, but when you are preparing an arrangement for a feast, silks can be done weeks in advance and will withstand time and elements.

I am hoping with this art being brought to light and justified as being period within the SCA, that I will see more use of it to brighten our feast halls and courts.


Rhiannon de la Meadue du Lue

 

Footnotes

1. Berrall, pg. 10
2. Ibid, pg. 11
3. Hunter pg. 7
4. Berrall, pg. 17; "With the decline of Rome, the Flower Art of the Ancients seemed to go into eclipse with all civilization.  There was a long pause for the duration of the Dark Ages before artists and writers of Medieval Europe and the Renaissance recorded the floral customs of their times."
4. Gerard's Herball   1597, John Gerard; Paradisi In Sole   1629, John Parkinson; William Turner
6. The Master of Mary of Burgandy   Plates 79, 80, 95, 97
7. Gerards Herball   1597 John Gerard; "Sweet William", "These plants are not either in meat or medicine, but esteemed for their beauty to decke up gardens, the bosoms of the beautiful, garlands, and crownes for pleasure."
8. Webb, pp.  152-3
9. Blacker pg.  10
10. Webb, pg.  152,3; Detail enlargement
11. Blacker, pg.  23
12. Ibid

 

Bibliography

Alexander Jonathan Medieval Illuminations and Their Methods of Work
ISBN 0-300-05689-3
Yale University Press, New Haven and London 1992

Bergstrom, Ingvar Dutch Still-Life Painting in the Seventheenth Century
ISBN 0-87817-279-3
Hacker Art Books New York 1983

Berrall, Julia A History of Flower Arrangement
ISBN 68-23997
The Viking Press, Inc.   New York, New York 1953

Blacker, Mary Rose Flora Domestica A History of British Flower Arranging 1500-1930
ISBN 0-7078-0380-2
Harry N.  Abrams, Inc New York 2000

Gerard, John The Herball or Generall History of Plants
Imprinted at London by John Norton 1597

Gerard, John The Herbal or General History of Plants
The Complete 1633 Edition as Revised and Enlarged by Thomas Johnson
Dover Publications, Inc.  New York, New York 1975

The Gualenghi-d’Estes Hours Art and Devotion in Renaissance Ferrara
ISBN 0-89236-370-3
The J.  Paul Getty Trust, Los Angeles, California 2000

Hunter, Norah The Art of Floral Design
ISBN 0-8273-5089-9
Delmar Publishers Inc.  Albany New York 1994

The Master of Mary of Burgundy A Book of Hours
ISBN 0-8076-1332-0
George Braziller, Inc.  New York, New York 1970

Newdick, Jane Period Flowers
ISBN 0-517-58428-X
Crown Publishers, Inc.  New York, New York 1991

Parkinson, John Paradisi In Sole 1629
ISBN 90-221-0758-2
Theatrum Orbis Terrarum, LTD Keizersgracht 526, Amsterdam 1975

Turner, William A New Herball
ISBN 0-521-44549-3
University Press, Cambridge, Great Britain 1995

Webb, Iris The Complete Guide to Flower & Foliage Arrangement
ISBN 0-385-15119-5
Doubleday & Company, Inc.  Garden City, New York 1979

 

List of Figures
Page 1, fig 1, Berrall pg. 14; Bridal Scene
Page 1, fig 2, Berrall pg. 11; One of a pair of lotus-filled vases
Page 1, fig 3, Hunter pg. 11; A single stem of white lily
Page 2, fig 1, Hunter pg. 11; Mixed Bouquets of the Renaissance period
Page 2, figs 4-7, The Master of Mary of Burgundy   plates 79, 80, 95, 97
Page 2, fig 8, Gerarde's Herball 1597; Cover Page
Page 3, fig 1, Webb, pp.  152-3, Portrait of the Family of Thomas Moore
Page 3, fig 2, Blacker, pg. 10, Sir Thomas More and His Family, copy...
Page 4, fig 1, Webb, pp. 152-3, Portrait of the Family of Thomas Moore
Page 4, figs 2,3,4, Blacker, pg.  10, Details from the More family portrait...
All other figures are by the author. since I installed the counter

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