Spring's promise of new beginnings has been an inspiration to artists and designers for centuries. You can see its influence across the arts, from Renaissance craftsmen to botanical artists and designers of the Arts and Crafts movement. See spring through some of its most evocative depictions in the collections and objects we care for.
Made in Japan in the late 17th century, this cabinet is elaborately decorated with flower and foliage motifs. The less elaborately decorated interiors of the doors show a pattern of cherry blossoms floating on water. This is a symbol of the evanescence of youth and beauty in Japanese culture, but this meaning may have been lost on its Western buyers.
The appearance of ‘sakura’, or cherry blossom, has been celebrated in Japan for centuries. Beneath flowering trees at the Shinobazu Pond in Edo (present-day Tokyo), family and friends gather to admire the spring spectacle. This is a custom known as ‘hanami’, or flower viewing.
A Canton enamel barber’s bowl at Tatton Park, Cheshire
Enamel shaving bowls were made in Canton (also known as Guangzhou), China, in the 18th century for export to Europe. Enamelling involves fusing ground glass to metal in a kiln, producing a glossy finish. The painted decoration includes cherry blossoms, which reflects a well-established Chinese tradition of bird-and-flower paintings.
This stained glass panel depicts a young woman surrounded by spring flowers. It’s one of a series of small panels of the four seasons, designed by William Morris for the inglenook fireplace at Cragside. Morris wanted to capture the spirit of medieval glass while keeping a focus on secular subjects.
Georg Dionysius Ehret was a highly influential botanical artist. He was born in Germany in 1708, and early in his career he worked as a gardener, which might explain his great affinity for plants. He painted this detailed watercolour of two double daffodils in 1753.
This charming painted paper frieze of a hen and her chicks by Cecil Aldin appears on the wall of the nursery at Wightwick Manor. A paper frieze is a decorated or ornamental band that runs around the perimeter of a room.
St Agnes and the lamb at Standen House and Garden, Sussex
St Agnes is traditionally depicted in art with a lamb, a symbol of her chastity. She figures in this 1887 tapestry by Edward Burne-Jones at Standen in West Sussex.
In this painting, Elizabeth Craven, Lady Powis, wears a richly embroidered dress that mixes motifs taken from the natural world, including butterflies flitting between roses. Elizabethan textiles often included designs based upon images found in illustrated natural history books.
Butterflies, dragonflies and moths are skilfully inlaid on the table from The Argory. It's decorated using pietra dura, (literally ‘hard stones’), where semi-precious materials such as marble, lapis lazuli, agate and jasper are carved into images. The technique has been practised for centuries and flourished in Florence during the Renaissance.
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Art and collections
We care for one of the world's largest and most significant collections of art and heritage objects. Explore the highlights, our latest major exhibitions, curatorial research and more.
Explore the artworks in our collections that capture the beauty of sunrise and sunset. See how artists have used seascapes and sunlight to bring to life peaceful scenes and industrial backdrops alike.
Many items in our collections have been inspired by historic romance and passionate real-life relationships. Take a look at this selection of works of art and tokens of love from the places we look after.
Did you know that the ancient Greeks and Romans loved to grow roses? Discover the roots and symbolism of these much-loved flowers through the objects and art in our care.
The 13,000 oil paintings in our care are nearly all displayed in the houses of their historic owners. Learn about the stories behind a selection of the artworks and their owners.
