May, from Twelve Months of Flowers - Henry Fletcher

Gift of Robert Allerton

"May, from Twelve Months of Flowers" by Henry Fletcher (n.d.) Engraving in black ink with opaque and translucent watercolor on cream laid paper.

Commentary

"May, from Twelve Months of Flowers" by Henry Fletcher (n.d.) invites a close look at how form and feeling work together. Its painted surface guides your eye through color, brushwork, and contrast rather than through narrative alone. Themes to notice include etching. This piece is held in the source collection's Prints and Drawings collection. Henry Fletcher is the artist behind this work. A useful anchor for reading the piece: Henry Fletcher (English, 1710-1750) after Peter Casteels III (Flemish, 1684-1749). The work is cataloged within a England cultural context. How to look at this work: It is cataloged as etching, which gives a clue to how the museum frames the object. Its medium (Engraving in black ink with opaque and translucent watercolor on cream laid paper) affects texture, durability, and how detail reads at different distances. Its listed dimensions (Image: 40.5 × 30.5 cm (16 × 12 1/16 in.); Sheet: 60 × 46.5 cm (23 5/8 × 18 5/16 in.)) suggest how intimate or monumental it may feel in person. Subject cues from the catalog include etching. Compare this reading with the museum record at the source collection: https://www.artic.edu/artworks/127984

Sources: Art Institute of Chicago; Art Institute of Chicago / Public Records; Art Institute of Chicago Collection Data