The enduring emblematic connection between romance and roses can be found throughout the ages, making them the hallmark flower for Valentine’s Day.
People’s adoration of roses has a rich history spanning continents and centuries, dating to at least 3000 B.C. when they may have been first cultivated in China. The Chinese revered roses. Confucius said that the emperor had a library with 600 books on the subject.
Ancient Greeks prized these plants, too, with a writer styling them as the “queen of flowers,” which became an everlasting sobriquet. Roses often feature in the works of the Roman naturalist Pliny the Elder. His fellow citizens reveled in rose perfume and water, and there was even an annual rose festival in Rome.
Garland of Roses
In “Rosa: The Story of the Rose” by rosarian Peter E. Kukielski and Charles Phillips, the authors describe the prevalence of roses in Roman society. They were abundantly grown in both pleasure and commercial gardens, a crop for perfume in the latter, as well as depicted in decorative frescos (a medium entailing the application of pigments on wet plaster). At Los Angeles’s Getty Villa, “Fresco Fragment With Four Cupids Hanging Garlands” (from A.D. 50–A.D. 79) is a charming scene of Cupids and Psyche, a popular theme in that period’s art.
While unidentifiable, the flowers in this scene could be roses. In ancient Greece and Rome, roses were associated with Aphrodite (Venus) and her son Eros (Cupid), both a goddess and god of love. Scholars know that this fresco fragment was once part of a larger tableau of decorated walls in a wealthy home.
‘The Romance of the Rose’
In the Middle Ages, one of the most influential secular literary works was “Le Roman de la Rose,” or “The Romance of the Rose.” This popular Old French 13th-century poem was written in two parts by two authors. It is an allegorical story that reflects on themes that include love and a quest. The plot revolves around a young man and his love for a beautiful flower, a rose representing romantic love, kept captive in a walled garden.
“The Romance of the Rose” was partially translated into Middle English by Geoffrey Chaucer and called “The Romaunt of the Rose.” These works of courtly love were interpreted by visual artists throughout the centuries and were a particular favorite of the Pre-Raphaelites, who were passionate about medievalism, mythology, and literature.
John William Waterhouse (1849–1917) was an important artist associated with late Pre-Raphaelitism, having been born just after the original art movement formed in England. His work is particularly known for using Romantic literature as a muse. “The Soul of the Rose” is a late Waterhouse painting currently in a private collection; its title loosely comes from “The Romaunt of the Rose.” It is one of Waterhouse’s most popular works and exemplifies his interest in depicting beautiful women in historical dress and settings with an especially sumptuous medieval tone.
“The Soul of the Rose” was painted at the height of Waterhouse’s creative prowess. Dated to 1908, the year was the start of a six-year cycle of works known as his flower-women paintings. This luminous picture is classically Romantic, showing a model wearing a luxurious brocade gown. Her rosy cheeks match the rose she gently clasps in hand, her red hair complementing the tableau. The woman’s head is angled to a degree that recurs throughout Waterhouse’s oeuvre as she smells the fragrant bloom.
The building in the background is illustrated with little tonal depth, focusing the viewer’s attention on the woman and the roses in the walled garden. Scholars note that this setting is reminiscent of Tuscan gardens in works by 14th-century Italian artists like Fra Angelico.
La Rose Française
In the 18th century, roses began to be seriously cultivated throughout Europe, especially in France. The rose proliferated in gardens, decorative schemes, furniture ornamentation, and in fashion. “Ravishing: The Rose in Fashion” explored the symbolism and myth of the flower in the adornment of clothes. The comprehensive 2021 exhibition appeared at The Museum at the Fashion Institute of Technology in New York City. An early example can be seen in François Boucher’s 1756 portrait of Madame de Pompadour, which shows her wearing a green silk taffeta gown trimmed with garlands of roses. Arguably the greatest rose influencer in Europe was Empress Joséphine, who gathered the largest rose collection of her time and amplified society’s interest in roses.
One of the most legendary love stories in history is that of the late 18th- and early 19th-century couple Emperor Napoleon I and his first wife, Joséphine. Botany played a leading role in their romance. Joséphine was a serious and passionate lover of plants, bordering on obsessive. At her home, Château de Malmaison, the empress created a famous rose garden. She intended to collect every known species of rose, her favorite flower.
Gardener Monty Don, in the episode “Gardens of Power and Passion” of his television series “French Gardens,” visits Malmaison and shares how allegedly Napoleon instructed his generals to bring back plants for Joséphine from wherever in the world they were stationed. He adds that “all the forces of the French Empire went behind this quest.” Even during the Napoleonic Wars, ships from enemy countries carrying specimens for Joséphine were granted free passage.
The Raphael of Flowers
The prints in “Les Roses” are classical flower portraits without backgrounds or any type of setting. This minimalism focuses the viewer’s attention on the minutiae of the flowers themselves; their forms are dramatically modeled by Redouté’s genius use of tone and hue. Redouté perfected the complex technique of stipple engraving, which was used in “Les Roses.” It is especially conducive to the creation of delicate botanical detail. By engraving a copper plate with a grid of dots and flecks instead of lines, the “light” of the paper underneath the color is not obscured.
These varied works of art underscore the enduring appeal of the rose as expressions of love, beauty, devotion, and romance. Its preservation in a range of media provides us with everlasting delight.
