the Wadsworth Atheneum Museum of Art
Hortus Conclusus, meaning ‘enclosed garden’, references the cloistered garden of early Renaissance master, Fra Angelico’s Annunciation (1430-32). The fascinating tapestry of jewel-like flowers and foliage that make up the groundwork of this painting, alongside millefleurs tapestries and gold-worked borders of ecclesiastical robes, serve as inspiration for this travelling triptych.
Hortus Conclusus is decorated with a depiction of embroidered, gilded cloth, and opens to reveal a wild constellation of floating golden flowers and foliage that focus on the intricate detail of the earth, whilst pointing to the heavens.
