17C Spring Allegory with Flowers & a Garden by Wenceslaus Hollar 1607-1677

1641 Wenceslaus Hollar (Czech, 1607-1677) Spring

Wenceslaus Hollar was born in 1607, the son of an upper middle-class civic official. Very little is known about his early life, but he evidently learned the rudiments of his craft by age eighteen, left his native Prague at age twenty, and likely studied in Frankfurt under Matthaus Merian. His first book of etchings was published in 1635, in Cologne when Hollar was twenty-eight. The following year he came to the attention of the renowned art collector the Earl of Arundel who was making an official visit to the continent, and Hollar subsequently became a part of his household, settling in England early in 1637. He remained in England during the beginning of the English Civil War period, but left London for Antwerp in 1642, where he continued to work on a variety of projects. In 1652 he returned to England, working on a number of large projects for the publisher John Ogilby and for the antiquary Sir William Dugdale. Hollar was in London during the Great Fire of 1666, and remains most famous for his scenes of the city before and after the fire. He was one of the most skilled etchers of his or any other time, which is all the more remarkable given that he was almost blind in one eye. Hollar died in London on 25 March 1677. By his life's end, he had produced some 2700 separate etchings.

Mythical Gardens - God Creating Eve - Illuminated Manuscripts

God Creating Eve. Saint Beatus of Liébana, Spain  (c. 730 - c. 800) New York Public Library 

In Western iconography the early Christian garden is usually defined by the Biblical story of Adam & Eve, the original lovers thrown out of paradise for tasting forbidden fruit, & cast into the wilderness to define their own lives & gardens. Before the Western printing press, illustrated manuscripts & early depictions of landscapes in portrayals of Biblical gardens give us a glimpse of gardens familiar & imagined during the periods the images were created. 

Gardens are often mentioned in the Bible. In the language of the Hebrews, every place where plants & trees were cultivated with greater care than in the open field, was called a garden. Fruit & shade trees, with aromatic shrubs, sometimes constituted the garden; though roses, lilies, & various gardens were used only for table vegetables, Genesis 2:8-10 15:1-21; 1 Kings 21:2; Ecclesiastes 2:5,6.

Genesis 2:8 “And the Lord God planted a garden eastward in Eden, and there He put the man whom He had formed...And the Lord God took the man, and put him into the Garden of Eden to dress it and to keep it."

Spring 2022 at Longwood Gardens in Pennsylvania

Pierre du Pont’s love for fountains stretched back to when he was mesmerized at the age of six by the huge display of water pumps at the 1876 Centennial Exposition in Philadelphia. With his indoor Conservatory now a reality, Pierre turned his full attention outdoors, where Longwood’s hydraulic splendors were already underway. Never mind that the property didn't have an abundant water supply; with electricity, anything was possible.

From 1925 to 1927, Pierre constructed  a Water Garden in a low-lying, marshy site northeast of Longwood’s Large Lake. The inspiration was the Villa Gamberaia, near Florence, Italy. The original did not have many fountains, but Longwood’s version had 600 jets in nine separate displays that shot from six blue-tiled pools & 12 pedestal basins.

At the same time, Pierre installed a 40-foot tall jet fountain at the end of the central allée in Peirce’s Park. It is said that Mrs. du Pont could turn the fountain on for her house guests with a switch. Pierre next decided to enlarge the Open Air Theatre & replace the old waterworks with 750 illuminated jets that continue to elicit thrills today.

Pierre’s hydraulic masterpiece was the Main Fountain Garden in front of the Conservatory: 10,000 gallons a minute shot as high as 130 feet & illuminated in every imaginable color. Its complex engineering didn't faze him. "The fountains themselves are of simple design...," he noted. "It is the landscape effect that adds to the total bill."

The completion of the fountains in the mid-1930s marked an end to major construction during Pierre’s lifetime, although he did build a 30-by-36-foot oval analemmatic sundial in what is now the Topiary Garden in the late 1930s.

In 1929-30, Pierre  constructed Longwood’s 61-foot-tall stone Chimes Tower based on a similar structure he had seen in France. In 1956, the original chimes were replaced with a 32-note electronic carillon. In 2000, a new 62-bell carillon was crafted in The Netherlands.

The Longwood Steinway Grand Piano was purchased by Pierre du Pont from Steinway & Sons in 1923. Du Pont was an amateur pianist & had a great love of music & all the performing arts. He wanted the world‘s most finely crafted instrument that he, his family, friends, & visiting artists could use to play music of the highest quality sound.

Located in the Ballroom, Pierre S. du Pont constructed the largest residence organ in the world—Longwood's 10,010 pipe Aeolian organ, in 1930. These resident instruments remain cornerstones of Longwood's performing arts programming, which presents world-class artists in unparalleled settings.

 See: Longwood Gardens History for more. 

“Beauty awakens the soul to act.” - Dante Alighieri (1265-1321)

Mythical Gardens - Adam & Eve in The Garden of Eden at Creation - Illuminated Manuscripts

The Garden of Eden, Paradise Garden, The Temptation of Adam and Eve (detail) in Concerning the Fates of Illustrious Men and Women, about 1415, Boucicaut Master. J. Paul Getty Museum, Ms. 63, fol. 3  Adam & Eve are surely not alone as they are tempted & expelled in this enclosed garden hortus conclusus.

In Western iconography the early Christian garden is usually defined by the Biblical story of Adam & Eve, the original lovers thrown out of paradise for tasting forbidden fruit, & cast into the wilderness to define their own lives & gardens. Before the Western printing press, illustrated manuscripts & early depictions of landscapes in portrayals of Biblical gardens give us a glimpse of gardens familiar & imagined during the periods the images were created. 

Gardens are often mentioned in the Bible. In the language of the Hebrews, every place where plants & trees were cultivated with greater care than in the open field, was called a garden. Fruit & shade trees, with aromatic shrubs, sometimes constituted the garden; though roses, lilies, & various gardens were used only for table vegetables, Genesis 2:8-10 15:1-21; 1 Kings 21:2; Ecclesiastes 2:5,6.

Genesis 2:8 “And the Lord God planted a garden eastward in Eden, and there He put the man whom He had formed...And the Lord God took the man, and put him into the Garden of Eden to dress it and to keep it."

17C Personification of Spring with a Garden! by Wenceslaus Hollar (Czech artist, 1607-1677)

Personification of Spring by Wenceslaus Hollar (Czech artist, 1607-1677)  Spring with a view of a 17C walled garden with people, beds, & two gates!

Wenceslaus Hollar was born in 1607, the son of an upper middle-class civic official. He left his native Prague at age 20, and likely studied in Frankfurt under Matthaus Merian. His 1st book of etchings was published in 1635, in Cologne, when Hollar was 28. The following year he came to the attention of the art collector the Earl of Arundel who was making an official visit to the continent, & Hollar subsequently became a part of his household, settling in England early in 1637. He remained in England during the beginning of the English Civil War period; but left London for Antwerp in 1642, where he continued to work on a variety of projects. In 1652, he returned to England, working on a number of large projects for the publisher John Ogilby & Sir William Dugdale. Hollar was in London during the Great Fire of 1666, & remains famous for his scenes of the city before & after the fire. He a skilled etcher, which is remarkable given that he was almost blind in one eye. Hollar died in London on 25 March 1677. By his life's end, he had produced nearly 3000 separate etchings.

USE Mythical Gardens - Adam & Eve in The Garden of Eden - Illuminated Manuscripts

 Adam and Eve in The Garden pf Edem Eating the Forbidden Fruit (detail), by Willem Vrelant, early 1460s

In Western iconography the early Christian garden is usually defined by the Biblical story of Adam and Eve, the original lovers thrown out of paradise for tasting forbidden fruit, and cast into the wilderness to define their own lives & gardens. Before the Western printing press, illustrated manuscripts and early depictions of landscapes in portrayals of Biblical gardens give a glimpse of gardens familiar & imagined during the periods the images were created. Gardens are often mentioned in the Bible. In the language of the Hebrews, every place where plants & trees were cultivated with greater care than in the open field, was called a garden. Fruit & shade trees, with aromatic shrubs, sometimes constituted the garden; though roses, lilies, & various gardens were used only for table vegetables, Genesis 2:8-10 15:1-21; 1 Kings 21:2; Ecclesiastes 2:5,6.
Genesis 2:8 “And the Lord God planted a garden eastward in Eden, and there He put the man whom He had formed...And the Lord God took the man, and put him into the Garden of Eden to dress it and to keep it."

See:

Creation of Adam

Michaelangelo. Creation of Adam. Fresco. Vatican, Sistine Chapel. Pietrangeli et al. The Sistine Chapel. New York: Harmony Books, 1986. P. 139

Creation of Adam. Sculpture,13th century. Chartres, North Porch. Kraus, The Living Theatre of Medieval Art, pl. 30

Boucicaut Master and Workshop. God gives Adam a soul. 15th C. Illumination. Paris, Bibl. Nat., fr. 9141, f. 29v. Meiss, Millard. French Painting in the Time of Jean de Berry: The Boucicaut Master. London: Phaidon, 1968. Pl. 448

Creation of Eve

The Creation of Eve. Biblium Pauperum, 14th Century. Lee, Laurence. Stained Glass. London: Artists House, 1982. P. 26.

The Creation of Eve. Early 13th C. Illumination. Psalter of Saint Louis and Blanche of Castille. Paris, Bibliotheque de l'Arsenal, MS 1186, f. 10. P. D'Ancona & E. Aeschlimann. The Art of Illumination. London: Phaidon, 1969. plate 73

Michaelangelo. The Creation of Eve.Vatican, Sistine Chapel. Pietrangeli et al. The Sistine Chapel. New York: Harmony Books, 1986. Pp. 144 45.

Creation of Adam and Eve. Mid 14th C. Illumination. Holkham Bilble Picture Book. London, British Library, MS Add. 47682, f. 3. P. D'Acona & E. Aeschlimann. The Art of Illumination. London: Phaidon, 1969. Plate 90.

God presents Eve to Adam. 15th C. Illumination. Cambridge, Fitzwilliam Museum, ms. 251, f. 16. Meiss, Millard. French Painting in the Time of Jean de Berry: The Boucicaut Master. London: Phaidon, 1968. Pl. 457

Adam and Eve.15th C. Illumination.Paris, Bibl. de l'Arsenal, ms. 5193, f. 8v. Meiss, Millard. French Painting in the Time of Jean de Berry: The Boucicaut Master. London: Phaidon, 1968. Pl. 381

Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden. ca 1460. Illumination,17 1/8 x 12 in. Les sept ages du monde. Department of Manuscripts, Royal Library of Belgium, MS 9047, f. 1v,L.M.J. DeLaisse. Medieval Miniatures. London: Thames and Hudson, 1965. Plate 35.

Jean Colombe. Adam and Eve.1480-85. Illumination. Hours of Anne of France. New York, Morgan Library. Gill, D. M.Illuminated Manuscripts. New York: Brockhampton Press and Barnes and Noble, 1996. p. 47

The Fall

The Creation and Fall. The Bedford Book of Hours, ca. 1423. The British Library. Postcard, museum shop.

Masolino. The Fall of Man. Florence, Brancacci Chapel.Casazza, Ornella. Masaccio. Florence: Scala, 1990. pl. 40

Michaelangelo: The Fall of Man. Rome, Vatican, Sistine Chapel. Pietrangeli et al. The Sistine Chapel. New York: Harmony Books, 1986. Pp. 146-47

John Thornton of Coventry. The Fall of Man. Stained glass. York Minster, Great East Window. Lee, Laurence. Stained Glass. London: Artists House, 1982. p. 87

The Fall of Man. Norwich Cathedral, wood carving (ceiling boss). Card, cathedral shop.

The Fall of Man. Illumination, late 13th century. British Library, Hebrew MS. Add. 11638, f. 520v. Postcard, museum shop.

The Limbourg Brothers. The Fall. Chantilly, Muse Cond. Tres Riches Heures du Duc de Berry.Cazelles. Illuminations of Heaven and Earth. New York: Abrams. p. 70-71

Guilio Clovio. The Fall of Man Illumination, The Hours of Cardinal Alesssandro Farnese, 1546. New York, The Morgan Library, MS 69, f. 28. Harthan, John. The Book of Hours. New York: Park Lane, 1977. p. 163

The Expulsion from the Garden

Masaccio. The Expulsion. Florence: Brancacci Chapel. Casazza, Ornella. Masaccio. Florence: Scala, 1990. Pl. 21.

God creates Adam and Eve, the Fall and Expulsion. 834 843, Tours. Illumination. Moutier-Grandval Bible. London, British Library, MS Addit. 10546, f. 5v. Beckwith, John. Early Medieval Art. London: Thames and Hudson, 1964. Pl. 46.

Boucicaut Workshop. Adam and Eve, Eve addressed by angel as she spins, Adam delving. Early 15th C, before 1413. Illumination. Paris, Bibliotheque Nationale, fr. 3810, f. 157v. Millard Miess. French Painting in the Time of Jean de Berry: The Boucicault Master. London: Phaidon, 1968. Plate 94.

Adam Delving. Late 12th C. Stained glass. Canterbury Cathedral, west window, nave. Keates, Jonathan. Canterbury Cathedral. London: Scala/Philip Wilson, 1980. p. 60

Spring 2022 at Longwood Gardens in Pennsylvania

Ten years after purchasing Longwood, Pierre du Pont was just getting warmed up. By 1916 he was contemplating grand indoor facilities “designed to exploit the sentiments & ideas associated with plants & flowers in a large way.”

The result was the stunning Conservatory, a perpetual Eden that opened in 1921. The latest technology was used to heat, water, & power the complex, but the systems were hidden in tunnels so as not to detract from the grandeur of the glass-covered peristyle & surrounding rooms.

Pierre chose to fill his new garden not with the usual jungle of exotic tropical foliage as was then the fashion but rather with fruits & flowers used in a decorative, horticultural way. One observer termed his greenhouses “floral sun parlors.”

A staff of eight gardeners oversaw this perpetual indoor flower show, aided by three boiler operators. Outdoors there were 11 gardeners & groundskeepers, & the entire Horticultural Department of 29 was headed by old-school English gardener William Mulliss.

It would be hard to imagine a more theatrical setting for the display of plants, unless it would be to the music of a massive, 3,650-pipe Aeolian. In 1923, an elegant Music Room with walnut paneling, damask-covered walls, teak floors, & a molded plaster ceiling was built opening onto the central axis of the main greenhouse.

The public came in droves to see these wonders under glass, fulfilling Pierre’s childhood dream of building a greenhouse open to the public. The du Ponts also had the perfect place for grand entertainment hosting innumerable civic & educational groups as well as family & friends. The guests’ reactions were always the same: a place beyond compare.    See: Longwood Gardens History for more. 

“Beauty awakens the soul to act.” - Dante Alighieri (1265-1321)