Foliage, Flowers and Fruit of the Sacred Lotus in Java

Marianne North was a prolific English Victorian biologist and botanical artist, notable for her plant and landscape paintings, her extensive foreign travels, her writings, her plant discoveries, and the creation of her gallery at the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew.

North travelled the world. In India she stayed with the eminent Sanskrit scholar Dr. Arthur Burnell, whom she had previously met on board a steamer to Java. They developed a deep friendship and began collaborating on a publication about the plants sacred to the Hindus, which Dr. Burnell wrote and Marianne illustrated. Marianne set about recording as many of these plants as possible, such as this sacred lotus (nelumbo nucifera). Dr Burnell sadly passed away before the project was completed. Marianne painted 28 sacred plants, which hung in oval mounts around a doorway in memory of her friend. Today, we present one of them.

P.S. This beautiful painting is featured in our Flowers in Art 50 Postcards Set.  :) 

P.P.S. Did you know the lotus holds a very special place in many Indian religions? There is even a unique Lotus Temple in New Delhi, which is one of the Bahá’í Houses of Worship.