Shakespeare's Flowers Fan

Keep cool with an exquisite folding fan featuring floral details from Clara Maria Pope's 1835 painting 'Shakespeare's Flowers'. This work was commissioned by Sir John Soane and hung in what had formerly been his wife Eliza's Morning Room some years after her death. It shows an extravagant bouquet of plants and herbs mentioned in Shakespeare's plays laid before a bust of the Bard and testifies to an enthusiasm that both Soane and his wife shared equally. Clara Maria Pope (1767 - 1838) was painter and botanical illustrator. She was married to the painter Francis Wheatley, one of Soane's fellow Academicians, and experienced considerable financial difficulties on his death in 1801. Mrs Soane befriended her at this point and she often accompanied the family on outings and holidays. Closed: 3 x 23cm Open: 43 x 23cm Find out more about Clara Maria Pope's painting (including an itemisation of the flowers featured) here.