Smooth Solomon's Seal

by Gordon Beningfield

Title

Smooth Solomon's Seal

Artist

Gordon Beningfield

Medium

Painting - Watercolor On Watercolor Paper

Description

A member of the lily family, smooth Solomon's seal grows in dry to moist soils or deciduous woods and thickets. The stalkless leaves -- attached to a single arching stem -- are smooth on both sides. Elongated, bell-like flowers, usually white tinged with yellow or green, hang in pairs from the axils of each leaf as the species name -- biflorum -- indicates. The blossoms appear from April to July. The fruits of Solomon's seal are bluish-black berries about the size of a pea. Solomon's seal spreads by an underground stem or rhizome. The genus name, which means "many knees", describes the knobby appearance of the rhizome. Because only one stem develops each year, the age of the plant can be determined by counting the number of stem scars. The common name refers to the resemblance of the stem scars to King Solomon's official seal. Native Americans prepared food from the berries, roots and young shoots of Solomon's seal.

Gordon Beningfield was born in London, but spent his childhood in rural Hertfordshire. He began his career as an ecclesiastical artist, and his commissions included engravings of seven glass Memorial Windows for the Brigade of Guards in the Guard's Chapel, London. Although he began to build a reputation for himself as a wildlife artist in the early 1960s, it wasn't until 1974 that a Look Stranger television program brought his work to the notice of a larger audience. After that, Beningfield was regularly in the public eye with periodic appearances on the BBC's In the Country program. The quality of his work, of course, steadily enhanced his reputation as one of Britain's leading painters of the countryside. His work first appeared in book form in 1978 with the publication of Beningfield's Butterflies, followed by Beningfield's Countryside. Many of his works have been displayed in international exhibits. His art was first immortalized on postage stamps in 1981 when his paintings of Britain's butterflies were chosen to be featured on that year's special British stamp issue. His appearances on television and publication of books made him a familiar artist in both the United States and the United Kingdom.

Please note the "Fine Art America" watermark will not appear on the painting or any print reproduction.

Artwork Copyright © 1990 Wind River Studios Holdings, Inc. All Rights Reserved under United States and international copyright laws. You may not reproduce, distribute, transmit, or otherwise exploit the Artwork in any way. Any sale of the physical original does not include or convey the Copyright or any right comprised in the Copyright. WRSH Stock Number XB12815

Uploaded

April 6th, 2022

Colors

Embed

Share

Tags