Rosa Centifolia Possibly 1788

This botanical illustration of Rosa Centifolia was made by Joseph Jakob Plenck. This image presents a rose, a symbol laden with centuries of meaning, from antiquity to the present day. The rose, with its delicate petals and sharp thorns, embodies a duality of beauty and pain, love and sacrifice. It recalls the myths of ancient Greece, where the rose was linked to Aphrodite, goddess of love, and stained red by her blood. This potent symbolism carries through the ages, appearing in Christian iconography as a symbol of the Virgin Mary, the “rose without thorns,” representing purity and divine love. However, the thorns are an inescapable aspect of the rose. They are a painful reminder of earthly existence. This juxtaposition has a powerful, subconscious appeal, engaging viewers with themes of passion, mortality, and the bittersweet nature of life. The motif resurfaces and evolves, embodying the complex tapestry of human emotion and experience.