Lions and Tulips

Date1815-1822

Attributed to Daniel Otto (ca. 1770- ca. 1822)

MediumWatercolor, pencil and ink on laid paper.

DimensionsPrimary Support: 8 1/8 x 13 1/4in. (20.6 x 33.7cm) and Framed: 13 5/8 x 18 5/8in.

Credit LineMuseum Purchase

Object number1959.305.2

DescriptionA depiction of two rampant lions posed on diagonally placed greenswards, their bodies facing one another but their heads turned toward the viewer. A flower sprouts beneath each lion. A large tulip, centered at the lower edge between the lions, sprouts a bouquet of flowers terminating in a large, closed tulip bud at the top.

The 2 1/2-inch flat, curly maple frame has beveled edges and inset corner blocks and is a modern replacement.

Label TextDaniel Otto produced some of the most colorful and interesting fraktur that survive from central Pennsylvania, particularly the Centre County area. His work ranges from decorative pictures, such as this one, to baptismal certificates with parrots, complex crowns, and fanciful beasts that probably were meant to represent dragons.

Distinctive motifs that frequently recur in Otto's work include the small round flowers and slightly larger carnations with paired leaves on single-line stalks and the wide-open, two-lobed tulip with part or all of the petals divided into small blocks of alternating colors.
MarkingsA watermark in the primary support reads: "C & S".
ProvenanceOwnership prior to CWF's source, L. L. Beans of Trenton, NJ, is undocumented.