A Columbine or Granny's Bonnet (Aquilegia), with Additional Studies of Flowers
mid-17th–late 17th century
Medium
Brush and gray ink, watercolor, gouache
Dimensions
Sheet: 12 3/4 × 8 1/4 in. (32.4 × 21 cm)
Classification
Drawings
Department
Drawings and Prints
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
Purchase, Daniel Ergmann Gift, 2014
Accession Number
2014.84
Tags
Art Historical Context
In the lush tradition of Dutch Golden Age botanical art, Pieter Holsteyn II's *A Columbine or Granny's Bonnet (Aquilegia), with Additional Studies of Flowers* captures the delicate beauty of the aquilegia flower, known for its spurred petals resembling bonnets. Created in the mid- to late 17th century, this drawing exemplifies Holsteyn's meticulous style as a specialist in floral studies. The sheet features the main subject alongside supplementary sketches, revealing the artist's keen observation of nature's intricacies—from petal textures to stem structures—making it a window into the era's p...