This study is pleasurable as it is full of insight. Today we need books like Fisher's to help us unlock the hidden messages behind the petals. Sumptuously illustrated, filled with fascinating details and esoteric information, this is a charming book for any garden, flower or art aficionado to dip into at leisure. A delight for anyone interested in the meaning of flowers in Renaissance art. An accomplished art historian [Fisher] is particularly illuminating about the lesser flowers of Renaissance art: the colombines, poppies, peonies, stocks, strawberries, thistles, larkspurs, periwinkles and grasses which she ties together in unexpected ways. Editor's choice: The revelatory text and copious illustrations bring out an array of hidden treasures, whether in the grass at a saint's feet, on the sleeve of an Elizabethan lady, or inside the lid of a Florentine wedding chest, which shed a delighful new light on Renaissance art. An elegantly designed oversize volume generously illustrated with full-page Renaissance paintings and some textiles and tableware. In its well-focussed way this book provides an epic manner in which to learn about plants and gardens and, more importantly, gives a glimpse of how they connect to so much else.