A new exhibition has recently started at the National Gallery of Copenhagen and it will last until October.

The exhibition “Flowers and world views” displays 300 works of art focusing on nature’s beautiful creations, while it at the same time gives an impression of the importance of flowers, fruits and plants in art history.

Some works are well known while others never or rarely have been exhibited before. Most come from the royal collections, including the collected works of flower paintings – the Gottorp Codex – that has just been through an extensive restoration.

It was the talented flower painter Hans Simon Holtzbecker who produced a pictorial record of all the flowers and plants that grew in Gottorp castle garden. Some of them were painted on the spot; others were sent to the artist’s studio in Hamburg, where they were captured with watercolours (gouache) on parchment. His flower paintings were incredibly detailed, and they were done with very vivid colours.

These four handmade books from the 1600s with their collection of the most beautiful flower paintings lay hidden and forgotten in the library of Gottorp Castle for many years and only came to light when they were handed over to the Danish National Gallery of Art.

Photo: ©  SMK