Lilium Tigrinum Flore Pleno, Plate 27 from A. C. Van Eeden's "Flora of Haarlem"

About this artwork

Research in Progress

Art Historical Context

This botanical print presents a graceful cluster of double-flowered tiger lilies, their vivid orange petals marked with bold black spots and arranged in layered, ruffled blooms. Several open flowers dominate the center, while slender stems branch outward with elongated green leaves, tightly closed buds, and partially opened blossoms that reveal their delicate interiors. The composition is balanced and upright, set against a soft, neutral background that allows the warm oranges and fresh greens to stand out clearly. Created by Dutch artist Arentine H. Arendsen around 1881, the work appears as Plate 27 in A. C. van Eeden’s “Flora of Haarlem.” Arendsen’s precise rendering reflects the careful observation typical of nineteenth-century botanical illustration, intended to document plant varieties for both scientific study and horticultural interest. As a print from this important Dutch flora, it captures the beauty of the Lilium tigrinum flore pleno while preserving a record of cultivated flowers popular in the period. Today the sheet forms part of the Smithsonian American Art Museum’s collection, where it continues to invite viewers to appreciate both the natural elegance of the lilies and the quiet skill of the artist who recorded them.