I've mentioned the language of flowers a couple of times before in this blog and the effect it has on the design of many ceramic pieces. The Victorians adored this conceit as it allowed them to communicate complex messages covertly through the use of flowers and bouquets. I recently came across this lovely old image that superficially explains some of the basic floral meanings.
Its astonishing how complex this iconography really is. What does this tell us about our favorite ceramic designs?
Certainly it's much more than we ever suspected.
This is certainly a charming print but it doesn't even begin to hint at the complexity of this arcane form of communication. Not only did individual flowers have their meanings but different colors of the same flower had different meanings. On top of this, combinations of flowers had their own meaning.
Take a look at this table from Wikipedia:
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Flower
|
Meaning
| |
|---|---|---|
| Lilac | purple | first emotion of love |
| white | youthful innocence | |
| Lily | white | Purity |
| scarlet | High-souled aspirations | |
| orange | Desire, passion | |
| Lily of the Valley | Trustworthy | |
| Lime Blossom | Fornication | |
| Lobelia | Malevolence | |
| Lotus | Purity, chastity and eloquence | |
| Love lies bleeding | Hopelessness | |
| Magnolia | Love of nature | |
| Mallow | Consumed by love | |
| Marigold | Pain and grief | |
| Epigaea repens | Welcome | |
| Mignonette | Worth | |
| Mint | Suspicion | |
| Moonflower | Dreaming of love | |
| Morning glory | Love in vain | |
| Mullein | Good-nature | |
| Nasturtium | Patriotism | |
| Oak leaf | Strength | |
| Oats | Music | |
| Olive | Peace | |
| Orchid | Refined beauty | |
| Oxeye daisy | Patience | |
| Peach blossom | Long-life, generosity, and bridal hope | |
| Pear blossom | Lasting friendship | |
| Peony | Shame, bashfulness | |
| Masculinity, bravery (in Japan) | ||
| Pitch pine blossom | Philosophy | |
| Plum blossom | Beauty and longevity | |
| Poppy | general | Eternal sleep, oblivion, imagination |
| red | Pleasure | |
| white | Consolation, dreams, modern, peace | |
| yellow | Wealth, success | |
| Rose | red | True love |
| blue | Mystery, attaining the impossible, love at first sight | |
| white | Eternal love, silence or innocence, wistfulness, virtue, purity, secrecy, reverence and humility | |
| black | Death, hatred, farewell, rejuvenation or rebirth | |
| yellow | Friendship, jealousy, infidelity, or apology, a broken heart, intense emotion, dying love, extreme betrayal | |
| pink | Grace | |
| dark pink | Gratitude | |
| light pink | Desire, passion, joy of life, youth, energy | |
| burgundy | unconscious beauty | |
| coral or orange | Desire, passion | |
| lavender(violet) | Love at first sight | |
| red and white together | United | |
| red and yellow together | Joy, happiness and excitement | |
| thornless | Love at first sight | |
| Rosemary | Remembrance | |
| Rue | Regret | |
| Sensitive Plant | Sensitivity | |
| Snowdrop | Consolation or hope | |
| Star of Bethlehem | Hope | |
| Straw | United | |
| Sunflower | Pure and lofty thoughts | |
| Sweetbrier | Simplicity | |
| Thorn-apple | Disguise | |
| Thistle | Nobility | |
| Thyme | Thriftiness | |
| Tulip-tree | Fame | |
| Tulip | red | Declaration of love |
| yellow | Hopeless love | |
| Violet | blue | Faithfulness |
| white | Modesty | |
| Viscaria | Invitation to dance | |
| Willow (creeping) | Love forsaken | |
| Winged seeds (any kind) | Messengers | |
| Witch-hazel | A magic spell | |
| Wheat | Wealth and prosperity | |
Certainly it's much more than we ever suspected.
To download a PNG of this chart, click on the image below and right click on the enlargement.
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