The History of Floral Design European Periods

1. The History of Floral DesignEuropean Periods Introduction to Floral Design Mrs. Rojas

2. Middle Ages • Flowers (both wild and cultivated) were an important part of everyday life • Used in food, drink, and medicine • Fragrant flowers were favored for the ground, freshening the air, and making wreaths and garlands for personal adornment and decoration

3. Middle Ages

4. Renaissance • Art represented religious history – flowers in vases were shown in paintings for symbolism • A rose represented sacred or profane love • A white lily was the symbol for chastity and fertility • Single stems of white lilies in a humble jug was popular • Flowers were arranged in vases so only the blossoms were visible and the stems were covered, creating massed, symmetrically stiff, conical arrangements • Varieties of bright colors and forms were used

5. Renaissance • Wreaths & garlands were still common • Containers were pattered after Greek and Roman periods, using elaborate metal containers with well-formed bases, stems, necks, and handles • Many containers had removable lids with holes in them to hold stems

6. Renaissance

7. Baroque & Dutch-Flemish Styles • Art became accessible to middle class instead of just church and nobility • Flower arrangements were sent in everyday situations • Elaborate ornamentation and curved lines were used • Oval shape, asymmetrical balance, and S-curve designs were all used in arrangements • Over-decoration and gaudy interiors were common • Flower paintings showed creative expression in large, flamboyant arrangements • Containers included glassware, terra cotta, and porcelain

8. Baroque & Dutch-Flemish Styles

9. French Period • Emphasis was on classic form, refinement, and elegance • Arrangements were commonly fan-shaped or triangle and massed, used as decorative accents in interiors • Vases were highly ornate (decorated), portraying elegance, and tasteful extravagance

10. French Period

11. English – Georgian Period • Fragrance was the most important part of a bouquet, believing that perfume would rid the air of contagious and infectious diseases • Nosegays were created to keep flowers close by and relieve the smells of unsanitary surroundings • Cleanliness was not a high standard in their living • Flowers were worn in hair and around necks or on gowns, either at waist or the shoulder

12. English – Georgian Period • Arrangements were formal and symmetrical, arranged with a variety of flowers • Flower–filled containers were set by fireplaces when heat wasn’t necessary • called a bough-pot • Wedgwood and fine ceramiccontainers were used for expensive arrangements • Miniature arrangements in bud vases were introduced

13. English – Georgian Period

14. Victorian Era • Flower arranging was taught and recognized as an art • Girls were taught to arrange, grow, preserve, press, draw, and paint flowers, including making artificial flowers • Arrangements grouped large masses of flowers, foliage, and grasses together for compact designs without voids • Design shapes were oval or round • Nosegays and hand bouquets were popular, conveying special sentiments with specific flowers

15. Victorian Era • Containers were highly ornate and showy, using all materials and shapes for holding abundant masses of flowers • Posy holders were invented using various materials • Formal (concentric rings of flowers with a symbolic flower in the center) and informal (casual mixing of fragrant blossoms) nosegay designs were used • Bosom bottles (aqua-picks) were formed to keep flowers fresh and from withering, when they were worn

16. Victorian Era

17. Victorian Era