MARCIA NORTHIANA, FROM: FLORA & SYLVA

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£5

Characteristics

Marica Northiana
From Flora & Sylva – A Monthly Review
William Robinson, Published 1903–1905

An elegant original botanical chromolithograph depicting Marica northiana, a graceful iris relative native to South America and admired for its distinctive blue, white and chestnut-coloured flowers. Published in William Robinson's celebrated Flora & Sylva – A Monthly Review, this refined study exemplifies the exceptional quality of botanical illustration and horticultural publishing during the Edwardian era.

The composition portrays three beautifully rendered blooms emerging from a fan of slender green leaves. The flowers combine crisp white outer petals with vivid cobalt-blue centres delicately patterned with warm chestnut markings, creating a striking interplay of colour and form. The artist has captured the plant with remarkable precision, balancing scientific observation with decorative elegance to produce a study that is both informative and visually captivating.

Produced using the chromolithographic process, the print displays excellent richness of colour and subtle tonal modelling, faithfully conveying the delicate textures and intricate details of the original specimen. The restrained background enhances the composition, allowing the unusual beauty of the flowers to take centre stage.

William Robinson's Flora & Sylva is recognised as one of the finest horticultural publications of the early twentieth century, celebrated for its outstanding botanical plates and its lasting influence on gardening and plant appreciation.

Presented within a clean mount and ready for framing or display, this print would make a superb addition to collections of botanical art, antique prints or horticultural literature.

In good overall condition, with strong colour and only minor age-related toning consistent with its age

Technical Information

Date: 1903-05
Image: 350 x 225 mm.
Mount: 410 x 330 mm.