Yellow and White Lilies (1780)

Willem van Leen is the artist behind "Yellow and White Lilies", dated 1780. The catalogue places it in Plants & Animals. The format is portrait. Plants & Animals, a short history: Images of plants and animals are valued both for the care of their observation and for their decorative appeal. Images of plants and animals run from medieval herbals and bestiaries to the scientific illustration of the seventeenth to nineteenth centuries. Historical background, 1780: The Enlightenment and the habit of the Grand Tour fed a wider interest in science, travel, antiquity, and natural history, and illustrators accompanied many expeditions. In Japan, ukiyo-e woodblock printing flourished in the Edo period and made colour prints a popular and affordable art form.

On onlly.art "Yellow and White Lilies" is sold as a digital download (Digital JPEG + PDF files, 300 DPI). The files are delivered by email after payment, so nothing is shipped: you print locally, choosing the paper, size, and frame yourself. A portrait format suits narrow wall spaces, hallways, and the area beside a door or window. Before printing, compare the proportions of the file with your frame so that nothing important is cropped. Matte and fine-art papers reduce glare in bright rooms, while glossy papers give stronger contrast and deeper blacks. Hang the print away from direct sunlight, which over the years can fade any printed colour. Screens and printers render colour differently, so a small test print is a sensible way to check tones before committing to a large size.

Dutch, 1753–1825

If you like the visual language of Willem van Leen, explore more works by the same artist in our collection.