Inscription surrounded by floral border: Primrose, by Clarence Bicknell

An image of Inscription surrounded by floral border: Primrose. Inscription surrounded by floral border: Wood Sorrel. Bicknell, Clarence (British, 1842-1918). Recto; watercolour; There is a bank (I love it well) / Where climbs the sorrel of the wood; / Here breathes, how frail! a puce-veined bell, / There snowy droops its crumpled hood. / With knotted roots of tinctured strings / A tender tapestry it weaves, / Whilst folding back like soft green wings / The lappets of its cloven leaves. / It is a dainty sight, I ween, / Of hoods, and bells, and fairy green; / And when the dews of evening fall, / They mutely bless the Lord of all, / And, closing, wait the daylight's call. / C.A. Fox. Verso; watercolour; I know not what among the grass thou art, / Thy nature, nor thy substance, fairest flower, / Nor what to other eyes thou hast of power / To send thine image through them to the heart; / But when I push the frosty leaves apart / And see thee hiding in thy wintry bower / Thou growest up within me from that hour, / And through the show I with the spring depart. / I have no words. But fragrant is the breath, / Pale beauty, of the second life within. / There is a wind that cometh for thy death, / But thou a life immortal dost begin. / Where in one soul, which is thy heaven, shall dwell / Thy spirit, beautiful Unspeakable! / G. MacDonald / To a February Primrose. Watercolour over graphite on paper, height, leaf, 326 mm, width, leaf, 255 mm, 1908. Part of: A Posy. Vellum-bound sketchbook containing leaves with an index at the end. Cover with brown leather ornamentation and remains of vellum closure straps.

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Inscription surrounded by floral border: Primrose. Inscription surrounded by floral border: Wood Sorrel. Bicknell, Clarence (British, 1842-1918). Recto; watercolour; There is a bank (I love it well) / Where climbs the sorrel of the wood; / Here breathes, how frail! a puce-veined bell, / There snowy droops its crumpled hood. / With knotted roots of tinctured strings / A tender tapestry it weaves, / Whilst folding back like soft green wings / The lappets of its cloven leaves. / It is a dainty sight, I ween, / Of hoods, and bells, and fairy green; / And when the dews of evening fall, / They mutely bless the Lord of all, / And, closing, wait the daylight's call. / C.A. Fox. Verso; watercolour; I know not what among the grass thou art, / Thy nature, nor thy substance, fairest flower, / Nor what to other eyes thou hast of power / To send thine image through them to the heart; / But when I push the frosty leaves apart / And see thee hiding in thy wintry bower / Thou growest up within me from that hour, / And through the show I with the spring depart. / I have no words. But fragrant is the breath, / Pale beauty, of the second life within. / There is a wind that cometh for thy death, / But thou a life immortal dost begin. / Where in one soul, which is thy heaven, shall dwell / Thy spirit, beautiful Unspeakable! / G. MacDonald / To a February Primrose. Watercolour over graphite on paper, height, leaf, 326 mm, width, leaf, 255 mm, 1908. Part of: A Posy. Vellum-bound sketchbook containing leaves with an index at the end. Cover with brown leather ornamentation and remains of vellum closure straps.

Image data

Accession Number: PD.8-1980.f.39
Photograph copyright © The Fitzwilliam Museum, Cambridge.
Aperture: f/19.0
Focal length: 80
Camera: Hasselblad H4D-31
Photographer name: Sam Cole
Image height: 1025 pixels
Image width: 801 pixels
Processed with: Adobe Photoshop Lightroom 5.4 (Windows)
Filesize: 470.70kB
Exposure time: 1/125
ISO Speed: 100
Fnumber: 19/1

Key words

20th Century Bicknell border botanical British School Clarence Bicknell decorative initial drawing February Fitz_PDP floral flowers green handwriting handwritten illustrated illustration initial months poem poetry poets primroses sketch sketchbook verses watercolour writing yellow

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            The Fitzwilliam Museum (2024)
            "Inscription surrounded by floral border: Primrose, by Clarence Bicknell"
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