Cherry Laurel (Mock Orange) Bough
Medium
Watercolor and gouache on paper
Dimensions
20 5/8 x 14 5/8 in. (52.4 x 37.1 cm)
Classification
Watercolor
Culture
American
Department
The American Wing
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
Gift of Judith F. Hernstadt, 2007
Accession Number
2007.476.1
Tags
Art Historical Context
Mary Russell Smith's *Cherry Laurel (Mock Orange Bough* captures the beauty of this flowering shrub in a precise watercolor and gouache on, measuring 20 5/8 x 14 5/8 inches. As an American artist associated with the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts circle, Smith specialized in botanical subjects, reflecting the 19th-century fascination with history and scientific illustration. Though the exact date is unknown, her work exemplifies the era's blend of artistic finesse and observational accuracy, where plants like the cherry laurel—prized for its fragrant blooms and glossy leaves—served as s...