Historical Sampler – Mystery Flower and Gold Leaf  

Posted by MeganH in

Remember this?

ran

http://elmsleyrose.blogspot.com/2009/03/historical-sampler-buttonhole-flower.html

Eowyn (Melinda Sherbring) suggested that it just might be a ranunculus. I do know that Mrs Christie did take flowers from embroideries and tapestries from 1200 to 1700 or 1800 (not modern ones).

I had a look for some history and found :

“The history of Ranunculus cultivars is rather startling, with unexpected ups & downs of popularity. According to Alice M. Coates' reconstruction in Flowers & Their Histories (1956), we find its rise & decline goes something like this: John Gerard writing in the late 1590s knew only one variety, a double dark red, while John Parkinson in 1633 knew but eight, whereas twenty were cataloged in the Royal Gardens in Paris in 1665. This slow start led to a veritable explosion of varieties, for near the end of the next century, in a 1792 plant catalog from James Maddock, there were a whopping 800 named cultivars! “
http://www.paghat.com/ranunculusficaria.html

From Elizabethan Flowers http://home.netcom.com/~janeabbt/flowers/browse.html

Ranunculus aconitifolius
white, double form Florilegium/1612 Emanual Sweerts/Amsterdam & Frankfurt
Ranunculus acris Meadow Buttercup Checklist of English native plant species Dr. Chris Preston/England
Ranunculus asiaticus
white inside/red outside, double form; orange-vermillion, double form; brownish red; white/pink speckles; yellow/red stripes Florilegium/1612 Emanual Sweerts/Amsterdam & Frankfurt
Ranunculus bulbosus flore pleno yellow Florilegium/1612 Emanual Sweerts/Amsterdam & Frankfurt
Ranunculus bulbosus Bulbous Buttercup Checklist of English native plant species Dr. Chris Preston/England
Ranunculus bullatus
yellow Florilegium/1612 Emanual Sweerts/Amsterdam & Frankfurt
Ranunculus ficaria Lesser Celandine Checklist of English native plant species Dr. Chris Preston/England
Ranunculus repens Creeping Buttercup Checklist of English native plant species Dr. Chris Preston/England
Ranunculus sardous Hairy Buttercup Checklist of English native plant species Dr. Chris Preston/England

The double flowers look like this, and the list includes an "orange vermillion double form" under Ranunculus Asiaticus!

ran

http://fireflyforest.net/firefly/2006/02/12/persian-buttercup-ranunculus/

- wavy, multiple layers! Similar, no?

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I finished the gold leaf.

gold_leaf

I used Pearl Purl No. 1 for the rib, and Super Pearl Purl to outline it – I thought a contrast in the sizes in the Purl would be attractive.

This entry was posted on Saturday, March 14, 2009 at 3:37 PM and is filed under . You can follow any responses to this entry through the comments feed .

3 comments

Whatever it is, I like it a lot. And the gold leaf looks very handsome as you've finished it.

March 15, 2009 at 7:37 AM
MarthaJeanne  

I saw on another blog that you might be looking for the Hinda Hands book. I know a source for a photocopy of it if you still want it.

March 15, 2009 at 1:45 PM

Jowynn - He's a boy, is he? And thanks.

MarthaJeanna - yes!!!!

March 15, 2009 at 7:47 PM

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