Botanical drawing of a delicate purple flower on left with a dragonfly next to it on the right.
recto Photo © President and Fellows of Harvard College
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recto Photo © President and Fellows of Harvard College

The purple flower has three open blooms of five petals each, with small dark stamens in each center. The stem of blooms faces right, with a smaller stem of five buds that point left. It has a dull shadow underneath. A small fly sits on the petal of the lowest flower facing downward. A dragonfly is drawn next to the flowers on the right, its four delicate shear and slender wings are open with its head pointing right. The dragonfly is about two-thirds of the size of the flower stem.

Identification and Creation

Object Number
1999.150
People
Margareta de Heer, Dutch (Leeuwarden c. 1603 - between 1659-65 Leeuwarden)
Title
A Purple Flower with Dragonfly
Classification
Drawings
Work Type
drawing
Date
c. 1644-1665
Culture
Dutch
Persistent Link
https://hvrd.art/o/188638

Physical Descriptions

Medium
Black, gray, brown, green, yellow, and violet transparent watercolor and yellow and white opaque watercolor on off-white antique laid paper, framing line in brown ink
Dimensions
24.1 x 29.5 cm (9 1/2 x 11 5/8 in.)
Inscriptions and Marks
  • watermark: Strasbourg lily, WR below

Provenance

Recorded Ownership History
[Mathaesson-Durand, Geneva], sold; to Maida and George Abrams, Boston, 1978; The Maida and George Abrams Collection, 1999.150.

NOTE: Provenance information from George Abrams, by recall.

Acquisition and Rights

Credit Line
The Maida and George Abrams Collection, Fogg Art Museum, Harvard University, Cambridge, Massachusetts
Accession Year
1999
Object Number
1999.150
Division
European and American Art
Contact
am_europeanamerican@harvard.edu
Permissions

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Subjects and Contexts

  • Dutch, Flemish, & Netherlandish Drawings

Verification Level

This record has been reviewed by the curatorial staff but may be incomplete. Our records are frequently revised and enhanced. For more information please contact the Division of European and American Art at am_europeanamerican@harvard.edu