Tagetes patula (udspærret fløjlsblomst) 1635 - 1664

This watercolor of Tagetes patula was made by Hans Simon Holtzbecker, a German artist working in Denmark in the mid-17th century. Holtzbecker was commissioned to record the plants in the gardens of Rosenborg Castle, a project reflecting the scientific curiosity of the era, as well as the social status of the royal family and their desire to categorize and control the natural world. The image creates meaning through its botanical accuracy and detailed rendering of color and texture. The marigold, native to the Americas, would have been an exotic import in 17th-century Denmark. Its inclusion in the Rosenborg collection speaks to the global reach of European trade and exploration at the time, driven by an emerging capitalist economy. To fully understand this botanical study, we can turn to historical sources like trade records, botanical texts, and studies of garden design. This helps us appreciate how art is always enmeshed within cultural, economic, and institutional contexts.