Schetsblad met lelies 1799 - 1857

Yamamoto Baiitsu sketched these lilies on paper sometime before 1856. Look closely, and you’ll see the lily, a flower steeped in symbolism, rendered with delicate strokes. In Japan, lilies often symbolize purity, love, and fleeting beauty. It's a motif that echoes across cultures. Think of the Madonna lily in Renaissance paintings—a symbol of the Virgin Mary's purity. Or consider the fleur-de-lis, a stylized lily used as a heraldic emblem by French royalty, representing perfection, light, and life. What is it about this bloom that captures our collective imagination? Perhaps it's the flower's association with both life and death, innocence and sensuality. This duality resonates in our subconscious, triggering powerful emotional responses that transcend time and place. Through Baiitsu’s sketch, we see how symbols, like the lily, journey through history, perpetually reborn in new contexts, carrying echoes of their past lives while adapting to new cultural landscapes.