Yellow Narcissus

Dateca. 1740

Artist/Maker Barbara Regina Dietzsch

MediumGouache and watercolor on vellum

DimensionsOH: 14" OW: 10"

Credit LineMuseum Purchase

Object number1987-712,1A&B

DescriptionThe painting depicts a single narcissus stalk with a cluster of flowers and buds, two leaves, and a small beetle crawling on the left leaf. The background is a uniform dark brown layer, making the flower appear to float in space. A thin band of gold-colored paint surrounds the perimeter of the sheet, approximately 2 mm in width. The paint is opaque and matte, the application uniform and relatively thin. The vellum support is white and of medium thickness.
Label TextBarbara Regina Dietzsch (1706-1783), one of the finest botanical artists of the eighteenth century, was a member of an important and talented family of artists in Nuremberg. Her paintings are characterized by the use of dark, usually brown, backgrounds that in this case creates a stunning contrast to the soft, delicate flower.

ProvenanceW. Graham Arader III, New York