The work of Mrs. Delany, this is Pancratium maritimum or sea daffodil, and the medium is paper collage or 'mosaik'. It's one of almost a thousand botanical collages which Mary Delany made in later life - she was 72 when she began - some of which go on show next week in London at Sir John Soane's Museum. The exhibition (previously on show in the US at Yale) sounds very interesting, bringing together "art, fashion and science", and including embroidered textiles.
There's a related book which I've had my eye on for a while: Mrs. Delany and Her Circle, 
I've been in awe of her work ever since I came across it in a magazine years ago. I'll have to check out the books so that I can have more than just a couple of magazine pages. It's so hard to believe that she could work such magic with a pair of scissors and some paper.
Posted by: blackbird | 10 February 2010 at 01:27 AM
Wish I could see this exhibit! We loved Sir John Soane's Museum.
Posted by: knittingoutloud | 10 February 2010 at 12:48 PM
Many thanks for the link to the exhibition. We came across Mary Delany's work during a recent visit to the British Museum and found her work incredibly beautiful.
Posted by: Judith | 12 February 2010 at 04:50 PM