There are over 100 species of roses, with all but rosa sericea having five petals and all with thorns, technically called prickles. The flower does produce a fruit, called a rosehip, which is berry-like and generally red in colour. The white rose, traditionally known as the bridal rose, represents the pureness of new love, and as such, a painting features in this selection, bringing peace, grace, elegance and tranquillity into your home.
The rose is the national flower of England and came to prominence between 1455 and 1485, being used for political reasons during the Wars of the Roses. The House of York’s seal was a white rose, the House of Lancaster’s was red. The roses were then cross-pollinated and became the emblem of the victorious house, christened the Tudor rose. The floral insignia of New York, Georgia, North Dakota, Oklahoma and Iowa, the rose is also the flower emblem of the United States of America.
With all it symbolises, it comes as no surprise that the rose is the most popular flower in the world, with its different colours signifying different things: yellow for friendship and joy, red for love, lavender traditionally reserved for royalty, dark pink suggests gratitude while light pink, gentleness and admiration, white proclaims innocence and orange relates to desire. This is gracefully depicted in this range of canvas prints, from traditional paintings to modern, featuring roses in all their splendour.