Common Thistle (Chardon Commun)
George Sand French
Not on view
The celebrated novelist George Sand made drawings throughout her life and career. Although her work as an amateur watercolorist is increasingly appreciated, less is known about her early practice of depicting plant life using cut-paper. This example achieves a particularly naturalistic effect with the use of watercolor. With extraordinary dexterity, Sand cut subtle gradations of a sheet painted green into the delicate, spikey forms of a thistle crowned with small purple flowers.