Campsis radicans (almindelig trompetblomst) 1649 - 1659

Hans Simon Holtzbecker rendered this Campsis radicans with watercolor and gouache on parchment. The trumpet flower, with its bold, elongated shape, is a symbol laden with a complex history. Consider its form, echoing the cornucopia, the horn of plenty, a symbol of abundance and nourishment stretching back to ancient Greece. But here, instead of spilling forth fruit, it offers only its open mouth, an invitation, a silent call. The trumpet shape itself is a potent emblem, think of the trumpets heralding divine pronouncements in religious art, signaling moments of revelation or judgment. This image, so meticulously rendered, touches on our deep-seated connection to nature. Yet, it also reveals how symbols evolve, shift, and are perpetually reinterpreted. This trumpet flower, divorced from its original symbolic context, now whispers to us of nature’s beauty and our enduring quest to capture its essence.