Chardons (Thistles), pl. 14

Plate, part of a collection of 30 pochoir pattern plates, originally part of a book titled "Les fleurs et leurs applications décoratives" (Flowers and their decorative applications), created by Émile-Allain Séguy and published in Paris by A. Calavas, as part of the collection "Librairie des Arts Decoratifs" (Library of Decorative Arts) in 1902. The plate features three ornamental designs inspired on the natural beauty of thistles, providing what Séguy considered a successful example of the application of scientific study of flowers in artistic creation, resulting in colorful designs likely intended for textiles or wallpapers. The first design is made up of alternating pairs of semi-abstract thistle flowers, outlined with blue and colored with shades of green, flanked by thin branches with thorns, colored with blue, and a large leaf, executed with shades of green, over a green ground, framed between two horizontal, light green stripes. The second design, likely for a rug, is made up of two bundles of three semi-abstract thistle flowers, colored with light green and shades of grayish-blue, placed on opposite corners of the rug design, and separated by a garland of large, semi-abstract leaves, colored with brown, over a brownish-orange ground. The third design is made up of alternating semi-abstract thistles, executed with pastel shades of blue and with orange petals, over a blue ground.