Horticulture in Ornament | Gilding, Decorative Painting, Fresco

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The Cradle of the Renaissance
Florence, Italy

FRESCO  
PAINTED ON THE CEILING VAULT.
Breakfast room overlooking the arno river 

HOTEL Consigli, FLORENCE, ITALY  

Most of our trip through Europe was planned but we found this beautiful hotel by chance. We could not have been luckier to land at this historic, charming, and authentic, Hotel Consigli in Florence. The bedroom was the size of four. Windows were three layers of shutters with no glass. The windows opened upon the Arno River and looked over a beautiful bridge. The vaulted ceilings  were so authentically Italian one could imagine Leonardo climbing scaffolding to instructing art students in painting techniques employed to glorify God at the time of the Renaissance. 

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Stylized images from nature were employed during the birth of the Renaissance period. Painters used techniques to ornament beautiful architectural pieces and bring the Glory of God into the churches and cathedrals. Stories are told in a visual sense and embolden with color and art for the appreciation of all.

    A fresco with trompe l'oeil painted ON THE ceiling vault. 

Hotel Consigli, Florence, Italy          

Waking to the sound of the Vespas hurrying to the many artisan shops, Museums and architectural heritage sites visited by the many world travelers, the native Florenians encourage us to find treasures to return with. After breakfast in an adjacent room with the beautiful frescos we ventured out walking to the city that so closely affiliated with the Medici family. The first day we found stylish soft leather shoes to continue our walks and our appreciation of the architecture surrounding the Duomo. Enjoying the customs and local culture we had to shop the gold jewelry shops on the Medici bridge, Ponte Vecchio and find a Gelato shop to cool down on this rather warm day.

The symbolism is replicated throughout the city. Everywhere, the Giglio of Florence is seen in stone, textiles, and tattoos. The Florentine lily is not a lily but a stylized iris, Iris florentina.

The Giglio of Florence

 The Florentine lily is not a lily, 

but a stylized iris.

Painted illustration of Iris florentina
 by Sydenham Edwards for Curtis's Botanical Magazine in 1803

The language of flowers and The Gramar of Ornament are two of the best books to understand artisans and symbolism used to evolve from the dark ages to the time of the Renaissance when discussion of science could lead to treacherous situations.

Botanical Art  Resources Tongiorgi, Tomasi L, and Gretchen A. Hirschauer. The Flowering of Florence: Botanical Art for the Medici. Washington, D.C: National Gallery of Art, 2002. Prin Jones, Owen. The Grammar of Ornament. New York: Van Nostrand Reinhold Co, 1972. Print. https://www.italian-frescos.com/

 ~ Grassroots Horticulture ~

2022

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