The Paper Garden: An Artist Begins Her Life's Work at 72

by Molly Peacock

Book Overview

In 1772, upon the death of her second husband, Mary Delany arose from her grief, picked up a pair of scissors, and, at the age of seventy-two, created a new art form: mixed-media collage. Over the next decade, Mrs. Delany produced an astonishing 985 botanically correct, breathtaking cut-paper flowers, now housed in the British Museum and referred to as the Flora Delanica . As she tracks the extraordinary life of Delany-friend of George Frideric Handel and Jonathan Swift-internationally acclaimed poet Molly Peacock weaves in delicate parallels in her own life and, in doing so, creates a profound and beautiful examination of the nature of creativity and art. This gorgeously designed book, featuring thirty-five full-color illustrations, is to be devoured as voraciously as one of the court dinners it describes.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1608196976
• ISBN13: 9781608196975
• Release Date: May 2012
• Publisher: Bloomsbury USA
• Length: 416 Pages
• Weight: 1.45 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.2" x 5.1" x 8.0"