A gathering of flowers: the Florilegium collection

Finely detailed botanical artworks reveal the range of plants introduced to Sydney’s gardens over the past 200 years.

Colleen Morris, guest curator

The word ‘florilegium’, literally a gathering of flowers, was first used in 1590 to describe a publication that focused on the beauty of plants rather than their medicinal value. Florilegia flourished from the 17th century to the late 19th century, during which time they portrayed collections of rare and exotic plants. Modern florilegia record collections of plants from within a particular garden or place rather than new species from afar.

In 2005 the Florilegium Society was formed to create a unique collection of contemporary botanical paintings of some of the most significant plants in the living collections of the Botanic Gardens & Centennial Parklands (the Gardens).^[1] Created over the past decade by 64 Australian and international artists, the 87 artworks are presented together for the first time in the exhibition Florilegium: Sydney’s Painted Garden, on now at the Museum of Sydney.^[2]

The artworks depict familiar and rare Australian plants, as well as exotic species from Asia, the Americas, Africa, Europe and the Pacific region. They reveal how, since 1816, the private gardens, public parks and landscapes of NSW, including some of those managed by Sydney Living Museums, have been influenced by the plants grown by the Gardens.

There has been a recent renaissance of botanical art, with many of the artists having turned to the form following careers in other fields. Others, who had careers as professional artists or designers, draw on their experience and combine it with the exacting skill of botanical art to great effect. Beverly Allen, founder and President of the society, previously worked as a freelance graphic artist and illustrator before becoming a botanical artist in the 1990s. Of depicting plants, she considers that, ‘to achieve true representation they are painted from life, their transience a challenge to the artist as well as an inspiration’.^[3]

Following is a selection of the exquisite artworks displayed in Florilegium.