2026 Gloriosa rothschildiana

This two metre long painting of Gloriosa rothschildianum at x 5 natural size was a really enjoyable commission to work on with the flamboyant colour of the vibrant reds and yellow petals. Months of work on such a large scale . The whole plant creates such fabulous curves and this I tried to capture in the wide sweeping movement across the overall painting.   It’s a plant dear to my heart as I remember it vividly from childhood growing up in Sierra Leone.

Gloriosa rothschildiana is taxonomically classified under the species Gloriosa superba commonly called gloriosa lily or climbing lily, is a tropical vine which grows to 6’.  The original plant specimen was collected in East Africa by Major H. E. Rattray and sent to UK where it was cultivated and first flowered in 1901 by the British zoologist and banker, Lord Lionel Walter Rothschild (1868 - 1937). It was officially described as a new species by botanist James O'Brien in 1903, who named it in honour of Rothschild.

When in bud, the flower faces downward but when in bloom, the petals are strongly reflexed backwards. The plants grow from tubers and climb rapidly on tendrils from the leaf tips. The tendrils are such captivating and fun aspects to draw twining around each other and gripping on as they climb.  All parts of this plant are poisonous.

Colours used: Aureolin,  Hanser yellow light and medium, Permanent rose, Scarlet lake, Burnt sienna, Alizarine crimson and Perylene maroon, French ultramarine blue .

Private Commission