No other flower has as legendary a history. The rose's dramatic combination of beauty and fragrance has made it a universal obsession, a symbol of spiritual love and physical passion praised in poetry, glorified in art, and venerated in every culture and religion.The Book of the Rose is an exquisite devotion to the flower's ravishing and sometimes audacious presence throughout the centuries. It follows the cultivation of the rose from Persian and Indian gardens to medieval cloisters; from the War of the Roses to the Russian Court of Catherine the Great and the breathtaking gardens of the Empress Josephine. The rich selection of illustrations includes delicate portraits of Indian men and women presenting roses to their lovers, illuminated manuscripts of medieval rose blooms, and paintings that celebrate the rose's beauty - and its erotic intimations - by artists such as Redoute, Fragonard, Renoir, van Gogh, Fantin-Latour, and Beardsley.The Book of the Rose also explores the rose motif in jewelry, porcelain and fabric, on furniture and in fashion, from the textiles of William Morris to the contemporary designs of Ungaro. In addition, a portfolio of glorious rooms illustrates the wide variety of rose themes in interior design.For anyone who has ever grown a rose, given or received a rose, worn a rose pattern or scent, here is a lavish tribute to the world's most celebrated flower. Read Less