Floristry History

How can you imagine our world without flowers? Without them, beauty itself would be sad! A person began to admire flowers from the moment of his becoming a person, i.e. actually from the moment I felt like a man. Since ancient times, flowers have been our constant companions in the most joyful, solemn and tragic moments. They help us express our love, admiration, respect, loyalty and memory more vividly. The first flower arrangements were discovered by scientists in the traces of the ancient civilizations of Egypt, Greece and Rome. Already at that time, the art of making garlands and wreaths from plant materials was highly valued, and people who mastered this art to perfection were considered artists. On the chest of the mummy of Pharaoh Tutankhamun lay a wreath of wildflowers,and the Egyptian frescoes that have come down to us tell about the use of floral arrangements in religious rituals. The ancient Greeks and Romans decorated their festivals and competitions, houses and public buildings with flowers. The mention of flower decoration of temple premises is also found in ancient Buddhist tracts.

The very word "bouquet" appeared in France. It means a beautiful bunch of cut flowers gathered together. Bouquets have replaced wreaths and garlands of fresh flowers. For the first time, bouquets appeared in the 14-15th centuries. If in the Middle Ages flower decorations served mainly only for religious purposes, then in the Renaissance this art regained its freedom and began to develop rapidly. One of the first books on arrangement that has come down to us was published in 1633 in Rome under the title "Flora or the garden culture of flowers." The European interiors of that time were characterized by a large number of colors. True, bouquets were then put first of all for the scent, and only then as an element of decor. Small bouquets adorned the costumes of the nobility of that era and even served as a kind of language of communication.

In the 16th - 17th centuries, the first botanical gardens and specially designed parks began to appear in Europe. The time has come for lush bouquets, and the custom of giving flowers has also developed. Proficiency in the "language of flowers" and the art of "color composition" began to be considered a sign of the good form of a noble lady.

In our country, by the middle of the 18th century, the fashion for bouquets in the style of "Victoria" (round) or "Pompadour" (one-sided vertical) prevailed. Decorated with a special lace napkin, the Victoria bouquet could contain up to 100 or more flowers and resembled a kind of small flower bed! Flowers were placed in special cases, luxuriously decorated with ribbons, lace and precious stones. McCart's bouquets bearing the name of the Viennese decorator Hans Makart were intended for long-term storage. They were made up of dried and tinted flowers and fruits, various herbs, feathers of exotic birds and were usually kept under special glass cases. Along with the 19th century came the fashion for bouquets in the Biedermeier style. In these bouquets, they used not only fresh and dried flowers, but also various lace, ruffles, velvet.In such a bouquet, only the heads of flowers were visible, gathered tightly to each other and making up multi-colored rings located one in the other. At the beginning of the 20th century, flower arrangements took on a more austere look and elegance. Much attention in the bouquet was paid to the freedom and plasticity of each flower. The Art Nouveau style brought flower lovers an asymmetrical bouquet with few flowers.

Today, the variety of techniques and floristic materials allows us to carry out bouquets and compositions of various styles, giving each master florist the opportunity to fully express his vision of the world, and you and I can enjoy beautiful floral masterpieces created by nature and man.

Photos from the exhibition "Flowers-2007"