The Met Cloisters Garden Notecards

Our lush notecards recall an early 16th-century book of flower studies made in Tours, France. The pages of this rare illuminated manuscript were painted by the Master of Claude de France who, inspired by “garden variety” flowers, elevated the likes of the dandelion and the fava bean to the celebrated status of the rose. Instead of exclusively depicting flowers for their symbolic or medicinal significance, the artist observed their physical beauty in these exquisitely detailed watercolors articulated with gold and silver paint, iron- and carbon-based ink, and organic glazes. Each of the flowers in this manuscript can be found in the gardens of The Met Cloisters.

Click here to learn more about the artwork that inspired this design.