15. Juni Fonden and the Gallery
Flowers and World Views
In 2013 the SMK presents the exhibition Flowers and World Views. Brimming with life and colour, the exhibition features two albums of flower paintings: the Gottorfer Codex and the Green Florilegium. These books are filled with paintings of flowers, shrubs, and fruit.
In the 17th century the Duke of Schleswig-Holstein-Gottorf, Frederick III, commissioned the flower painter Hans Simon Holtzbecker to paint his famous garden. The result was two albums: the Gottorfer Codex and the Green Florilegium. Both were created in the period 1649-1659.
The Green Florilegium
The Green Florilegium is a unique album of flower paintings. Dating from the mid-17th century and numbering 178 leaves, the album features approximately 400 flower pictures. All the paintings are executed with great skill in gouache on parchment by the German artist Hans Simon Holtzbecker, who also created the Gottorfer Codex. Both works are owned by the SMK.
Generous support from 15. Juni Fonden has enabled the SMK to partner up with botanists from the Natural History Museum of Denmark to restore and present the Green Florilegium and to identify the flowers featured in the work. With its funding for conservation, photography, and registering work and for identifying the flowers the 15. Juni Fonden has greatly helped us present this unique album to the public.
