Ornament met planten en bloemen c. 1910

Bernard Willem Wierink made this ornament with plants and flowers in the Netherlands, though we don’t know exactly when. The stylised pattern is a repeated motif of flora, framed between two dark bands, but what was it for? The industrial revolution brought with it an explosion of pattern, which was printed onto textiles, wallpapers, and ceramics. Designers sold their patterns to manufacturers, and it is most likely that this is what Wierink did. The Netherlands has a rich history of botanical illustration and the intense study of the natural world, but this image stands apart, in its flatness, repetition, and simplicity. The lack of shading or depth makes this ornament ideal for reproduction across a variety of surfaces. By consulting design archives and social histories of Dutch design, we can understand this artwork not just as a pretty pattern, but as a visual document of a key moment in the history of industrial design.