New Books for the New Year: The Rose Book
Over 200 spectacular images alongside essays by big thinkers from the worlds of fashion, art and horticulture, take readers on a journey of discovery, highlighting our enduring connection to the rose and the ways it's inspired artists and image-makers throughout time.
For millennia we have grown roses, tended to them, depicted them, used them as legal tender and herbal remedies and, most of all, given them to those we love. Shakespeare famously declared, “of all the flowers, methinks the rose is best."
It’s estimated that over 250 million red roses are still given on Valentine’s Day alone. The rose in all of its diverse hues has symbolized love, lust, and longing, as well as vitality, power, and partnership. One of nature’s most diverse plants, roses also remain one of the most universally loved blooms around the world.
Rosie Sanders, A Rose in Winter, 2012. Picture credit: Courtesy Rosie Sanders / Photo: Paul Biddle. Archival digital print, 28 × 241/8 in. / 71 × 61 cm
The Rose Book celebrates this the world’s most iconic flower, from fashion to fragrance and petal to thorn, taking readers on a journey to discover our enduring connection to the rose and the endless ways it has inspired artists and image-makers across continents and cultures.
Simone Gooch and Derek Henderson, Rosa #12, from Rosa, 2020. Picture credit: Simone Gooch and Derek Henderson / Melanie Roger Gallery, New Zealand, and Michael Reid Gallery, Australia. Inkjet print, 47¼ × 37¾ in. / 120 × 96 cm
This exciting survey is a collection of 223 spectacular images curated in collaboration with an international panel of experts that includes rosarians, botanists, florists, and art historians.
Rosie Sanders, A Rose in Winter, 2012. Picture credit: Courtesy Rosie Sanders / Photo: Paul Biddle. Archival digital print, 28 × 241/8 in. / 71 × 61 cm
Three enlightening essays open The Rose Book, exploring the horticultural history of the flower, its abundant presence in fashion, and the storied use of its scent in perfume, written respectively by Kristine Paulus, librarian at the New York Botanical Garden; Amy de la Haye, professor at the London College of Fashion; and Victoria Gaiger, creative director of rakesprogress magazine.
Calling card, late 19th century. Picture credit: The Old Design Shop. Chromolithography and embossing on die-cut card
Over 220 images - each accompanied by an accessible text - illustrate a diverse, global selection of roses that span multiple mediums, from wild ramblers to cultivated Hybrid Teas, botanical illustrations to fashion design.
Lewis Miller, Flower Flash: W 22nd Street/7th Avenue, April 11, 2019. Picture credit: Photo: Irini Arakas. Floral installation, dimensions variable
The works are artfully arranged to reveal intriguing juxtapositions. A midcentury wallpaper pattern is paired with a rose-adorned Barbie; the Kentucky Derby winner rose garland contrasts with a vibrant collage by Romare Bearden; and an ancient Roman mosaic of garland makers sits next to a contemporary shot of harvesters picking Centifolia roses for the next batch of Chanel No. 5.
Clive Nichols, Frosty Rose ‘Warm Welcome’, 2010. Picture credit: Clive Nichols. Photograph, dimensions variable
Meanwhile, a reference section includes an epilogue by floral designer Shane Connolly, and a rose glossary by Michael Marriott, formerly head rosarian of David Austin Roses.
Carrara Glassmakers, Rosai Chandelier, c. 2020. Picture credit: Italian Lighting Centre. Glass, 59 × 49½ in. / 150 × 125 cm. Private collection
From a couture Dior gown and a rose-adorned Barbie to ancient mosaics and Victorian Valentine’s cards, this curated collection celebrates the world’s most iconic flower.n Take a closer look at The Rose Book and pre-order it here. It ships in April.
Shiro Kuramata, Miss Blanche, 1988. Picture credit: © Estate of Shiro Kuramata. Acrylic, artificial roses, and anodized aluminum, 36¼ × 24¾ × 24 in. / 92 × 63 × 61 cm. Private collection
