Themed tour

Valentine’s Day provides an opportunity to trace the meaning of flowers in the paintings of the old masters.

While flowers initially symbolised religious ideas in the symbolic painting of the Middle Ages, flowers and their symbolic language can also be found in secular paintings from the Renaissance onwards. The Baroque period saw the peak of magnificent flower still lifes.

From Mary’s garden of paradise to Alexander the Great’s mistress and exquisite tulips from the Orient – a journey through the centuries brings flowers to life in a wide variety of facets.