collage;
album
- Museum number
- 1897,0505.248
- Description
-
Crinum zeylanicum (Hexandria monogynia), formerly in an album (Vol.III, 47); Asphodil Lilly. 1778
Collage of coloured papers, with bodycolour and watercolour, on black ink background
- Production date
- 1778
- Dimensions
-
Height: 336 millimetres
-
Width: 242 millimetres
- $Inscriptions
-
- Curator's comments
- See bibliographic references in curator's comment for 1897-5-5-1. Composition made at St James's Place, plant donated by Lord Rockingham.
Exhibition label 1992: "Commonly called milk-and-wine lily, this originated in tropical Asia and east Africa, and was introduced to this country c.1770...."
The following entry appeared on the Explore section of the BM website until September 2015:
Mary Delany, Crinum Zeylanicum: Asphodil Lilly, a paper collage
England, AD 1778
Mary Delany began making paper collages, or ‘mosaicks' as she called them, at the age of 72. The idea came to her while staying with her companion, Margaret Bentinck, duchess of Portland, at Bulstrode in Buckinghamshire. She had noticed the similarity of colour between a geranium and a piece of red paper that was on her bedside table. Taking up her scissors she imitated the petals. Upon entering the room, the Duchess mistook them for real: 'Her approbation was such a sanction to my undertaking... and gave me courage to go on with confidence'. Delany later wrote that her work was intended as an imitation of a hortus siccus or collection of dried flowers.
Commonly called the Milk-and-wine Lilly, the Asphodil Lilly originated in tropical Asia and east Africa and was introduced to this country in around 1770. An inscription on the back of the collage indicates that the flower was presented to Delany by Lord Rockingham (1730-82), a Whig politician and twice Prime Minister.
- Location
- Not on display
- Exhibition history
-
1992 Sept. - Dec. BM, Flower Collages of Mary Delany
1995 Nov-Dec, NG of Ireland, Mary Delany (no cat.)
2007-2008, Oct-Jan, BM, Enlightenment Gallery
2023 4 Aug- 30 Nov, London, BM, G1, Enlightenment Gallery
- Acquisition date
- 1897
- Department
- Prints and Drawings
- Registration number
- 1897,0505.248