Iris Japonica - Number 1 41/4 Vase

Remarkably, a fringed iris – Iris japonica - by Caroline Maria Applebee painted on watercolour on paper (20.4 x 17.2 cm) almost appears to be floating in a clouded sky. Many watercolour artists will know that to express a plant’s three-dimensional form on paper, you should use at least three tones: dark, medium and light. In this watercolour, Applebee’s smooth graduation of tone from light to dark is exceptional.

In Victorian times, when floriography and the language of flowers were hugely popular, people would send irises to their friends as a way to express their gratitude. For 2023, Nicola Slaney transforms Applebee’s watercolour as a mark of gratitude for her work. Mesmerisingly, fringed irises appear like pristine-white billowed sails in the epicentre of the Moorcroft vase, with each flower dappled with deep purple and holding conspicuous honey-orange crests on each fringed fall.

Ex Tax: £354.17

• Designer: Nicola Slaney
• Dimensions: H 10.00 x W 10.50 x D 10.50 cm
• Availability: In Stock