Roses 1924

Painted by Samuel Peploe, this still life bursts with roses, a symbol laden with history. In the Victorian era, a rose conveyed love, with color indicating its nature – red for passion, pink for gentility. But trace the rose further back. In ancient Greece and Rome, it was associated with Aphrodite and Venus, goddesses of love and beauty. We see roses adorning Roman frescoes, emblems of luxury and sensuality. Contrast this with its later Christian adaptation as a symbol of the Virgin Mary, a transformation from earthly love to divine purity. Observe how the simple rose, a delicate blossom, carries centuries of cultural and emotional weight. It evokes primal urges, of love and desire, of life and death. Peploe's painting is not just a still life, but a reminder that our symbols echo through time, connecting us to the collective memory of mankind.