Aquilegia vulgaris (almindelig akeleje) 1635 - 1664

Hans Simon Holtzbecker painted this watercolor and gouache of an Aquilegia vulgaris, also known as the Common Columbine, during the 17th century. Here, the columbine’s delicate, spurred petals and lobed leaves are rendered with precision. In the visual language of flowers, the columbine has long been a complex symbol. During Holtzbecker’s era, it was associated with folly and ingratitude, yet in religious contexts, it symbolized the Holy Spirit, its seven doves represented by the flower's spurred petals. This duality echoes older myths, where the columbine was linked to both Venus, the goddess of love, and Saturn, the god of melancholy. The flower's nodding posture might also trigger a sense of introspection, a mirroring of human pensiveness. It’s fascinating how a single botanical subject can evoke such a range of emotions and ideas, transcending time to engage us on a deeper, perhaps subconscious, level. The cyclical progression of the columbine has resurfaced and evolved and taken on new meanings in different historical contexts.