Cut Paper Flower

This pretty botanical picture of a pink flower is made from cut paper and is well detailed showing the individual sepals on the flowerheads. The petals are cut from tissue paper, the leaves and stem from card.

The artist is unknown but he/she was without doubt influenced by the work of Mrs Mary Delany (1700-1788) who, at the age of 72, began to create botanically accurate ‘paper mosaicks’ in hand-coloured tissue paper. She frequently pursued her work in company and lamented that ‘so few would attempt it’. Failing eyesight obliged her to give up her occupation after ten years but by then she had already filled ten albums of Flora which are now preserved in the British Museum in London.

There are small losses to a couple of petals and to a couple of sepals but otherwise the condition is fine. it resides in a period reeded frame.