Vintage Flower Bluebell Floral Illumination

Floral Pattern from the 1800s

This delightful floral pattern is from an illuminated manuscript from the 1800s. The art of illumination refers to books that provide decoration that supplements the text. Illumination is most often done with decorated initials, borders, and sometimes miniature illustrations. Gold and silver were the traditional materials used for illumination, and color is sometimes used for impact. Examples of illuminated manuscrips can be found as far back as the 400s, and may still exist from the middle ages. This example is late - from the mid-1800s.

This beautiful vintage floral design was created in the 1873 as an illumination for the book called "The book illuminator to the Queen," Marcus Ward. It shows beautifully drawn blue and pink flowers (it looks like they're bluebells and carnations), and swirls of green and blue leaves and acanthus greenery. The floral pattern is just one small image from a huge work of illuminations and designs by Marcus Ward.

Marcus Ward's design company, Marcus Ward and Company, was based in Belfast in the 1800s. Marcus Ward and Company started out creating stationery, bindery, and printing, and later did color lithography. This florial design was printed in 1873, in a book entitled "A Practical Treatise on the Art of Illuminating" by Marcus Ward.

Vintage Flower Bluebell Floral Decoration