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Periods of Floral Design

  • Period: 2800 BCE to 28 BCE

    Egyptian

    They used flowers for decorations, garlands, wreaths, and temple offerings. People utilized simplistic design and repeated patterns numerous times. Made with flowers such as: Lotus, acacia, roses, water lilies, violets, Madonna lilies, narcissus, jasmine, and poppies.
  • Period: 600 BCE to 150 BCE

    Greek

    They are known for creating triangular and symmetrical arrangements. These arrangements has one or very few colors. They continued to use wreaths and garlands from the Egyptians. They created the "Horn of Plenty" or cornucopia. Commonly used flowers/plants were roses, grape, leaves, hyacinths, lilies, iris, herbs, seed pods, narcissus, and violets.
  • Period: 320 BCE to 600 BCE

    Byzantines

    Began to incorporate fruit with garlands
    Placed arrangements in baskets, goblets, or low containers
    Creation of symmetrical, conical "tree-like" arrangements
  • Chinese
    207 BCE

    Chinese

    The Chinese were the first to use water and containers for floral arrangements. Their designs reflected religious, simplistic ideas. These arrangements were placed on alters, placed around the house, or used for personal adornment.
  • Period: 28 BCE to 325 BCE

    Roman

    They continued to use the same customs of the Greek period. They continued the use of garlands, wreaths, and crowns, but they were more elaborate than the Greeks. Romans floral design in basket and cornucopia weren't as graceful as the Greeks. During this period, people started using flowers for fragrant purpose.
  • 794

    Japanese

    During the Japanese era six canons/principles were applied by Hsieh Ho includes: rhythm, organic form, trueness of nature, color, style, and placement of the object in the field. Have to different styles: Rikkwa and Ikebana. Rikkwa, or "standing flowers," in Japanese design began to develop with rules traced to the early 7th century. Ikebana, began as early as the 6th century as Buddhist floral offerings. It is known as Kado or "giving life to flowers".
  • Ikebana
    794

    Ikebana

    Ikebana is inspired by the Buddhist principles of dominance, proportion, balance, and rhythm. It places emphasis on line in the designs, instead of color. This style has three lines that represent: Heaven ("Shins" primary line) is one to one and a half times as the container. Man ("Soe" secondary line) is 1/2 to 2/3 times the height of the shin. Earth ("Tai" tertiary line) is 1/4 to 1/3 times the height of the Shin with a more horizontal line. Filler flower "Nejime" ties Shin, Cyo, So pattern.
  • Ikebana (Nejime)
    794

    Ikebana (Nejime)

    Shin is the most common and formal pattern. Its name was received from the first element of Ikebana. This pattern uses flowers and plants in upright containers so they grow naturally. Cyo are smaller than Shin designs and its less formal. It uses curved, graceful lines of stems in upright containers. Soe is the least formal design that are horizontal, low designs placed in low containers. They contain broad, sweeping lines created by forcing the stems to bend.
  • Rikkwa
    1333

    Rikkwa

    Commonly made by Buddhist priests at altars. This design is commonly know for being very large, upright, and symmetrical. The design commonly incorporates trees to provide foundation, referred as "shin" helping portray natural landscape.
  • Period: 1400 to

    Flemish

    Created an oval shape using flowers
    Utilized shapes, textures, and color within designs
    Depth and dimension were important
    Arrangements commonly used in urns
    Used flowers such as tulips , peonies , wild flowers , and tropical flowers
  • Period: 1400 to

    Renaissance

    Large symmetrical arrangements with bright colors
    Used flowers for more than religious purposes
    Introduced the Christmas wreath
    Used ivy , lily of the valley , violets , roses , and anemone as foliage
  • Period: to

    Baroque

    Sifted to asymmetrical designs
    Marked the beginning of the S-curve
    Utilized large containers with several different types of flowers, such as peony, marigold, iris, and lily
  • Period: to

    Early American

    They used household containers to arrange any flowers they found and display at their home for personal adornment.
  • Colonial Williamsburg

    Colonial Williamsburg

    Fan-shaped arrangements combining grasses, flowers, and foliage. Some flowers are anemones, hollyhocks, phlox, sunflowers, violets, bachelor button, marigold, and etc.
  • American Federal

    American Federal

    Made one flower the focal point instead of a large mixture of flowers.
  • Period: to

    Victorian

    This floral design used contrast and texture by combining foliage and grasses in very low containers. These arrangements were mostly displayed by wealthy women to show off their wealth.
  • Modern

    Modern

    This contemporary style is formed by combining the Japanese line elements and the Europeans mass designs. Put in containers for arrangements.