Glebionis coronaria (kron-okseøje) 1649 - 1659

Curator: What strikes me first about this botanical drawing is how luminous it feels, like catching the light in a summer meadow. Editor: This gorgeous sheet is titled "Glebionis coronaria" – also known as kron-okseøje in Danish, or crown daisy – rendered in watercolor and gouache by Hans Simon Holtzbecker between 1649 and 1659. Holtzbecker was a key figure in the court of Frederik III and his work resides here at the SMK. Curator: It’s the roots, though, that really ground it for me—a messy counterpoint to the precise blossoms. Did he intend a tension, a wink? Editor: Absolutely, because these meticulously observed studies reflected far more than just scientific curiosity. Seventeenth-century botanical illustration became entwined with politics, wealth, and power. Royalty collected such drawings as displays of global reach, of a dominion extending into the natural world. Curator: So, the crown daisy, carefully recorded, is a stand-in for Frederik’s kingdom. The roots made visible--the base and hidden sustenance...It gives you pause. Editor: And consider how realism became a visual strategy—lending authenticity and promoting an image of control in an era of discovery and colonization. Botanical art helped construct and legitimize those empires. Curator: So even in a flower, we find layered meaning, political intention, and the careful, artistic dance of reality. Next time I pick one, I’ll remember its weighty history. Editor: Yes, and appreciate the craft inherent in revealing such stories. It truly deepens one’s perception.