Witte margrieten before 1893

Willem Wenckebach created this drawing of white daisies on paper. The daisy, with its radiant yellow center and pristine white petals, is more than a mere flower. In the Victorian era, it symbolized innocence and purity, often associated with childhood and the simple joys of life. But the daisy's story stretches further back. Think of the medieval tradition of courtly love, where daisies were given as tokens of affection, representing faithfulness and enduring love. Consider Botticelli’s "Primavera," where floral motifs, though not daisies specifically, evoke a sense of renewal and emotional awakening. The daisy shares this visual language, connecting to deeper archetypes of rebirth and the cyclical nature of life. Its cyclical resurgence through art history highlights our enduring connection to nature, a collective memory of beauty, and the simple pleasures that ground us.