Peacock Feather and Gladiola 4

Per Wikipedia: Gladiolus (from Latin, the diminutive of gladius, a sword,) is a genus of perennial cormous flowering plants in the iris family... more

by Sarah Loft

Title

Peacock Feather and Gladiola 4

Artist

Sarah Loft

Medium

Photograph

Description

Per Wikipedia: Gladiolus (from Latin, the diminutive of gladius, a sword,) is a genus of perennial cormous flowering plants in the iris family (Iridaceae).

It is sometimes called the sword lily or gladiola, but is usually called by its generic name (plural gladioli).


The genus occurs in Asia, Mediterranean Europe, South Africa, and tropical Africa.

The flowers of unmodified wild species vary from very small to perhaps 40 mm across, and inflorescences bearing anything from one to several flowers. The spectacular giant flower spikes in commerce are the products of centuries of hybridisation and selection.

The flower spikes are large and one-sided, with secund, bisexual flowers, each subtended by 2 leathery, green bracts. The sepals and the petals are almost identical in appearance, and are termed tepals. They are united at their base into a tube-shaped structure. The dorsal tepal is the largest, arching over the three stamens. The outer three tepals are narrower. The perianth is funnel-shaped, with the stamens attached to its base. The style has three filiform, spoon-shaped branches, each expanding towards the apex.


Per Wikipedia: The Indian peacock has iridescent blue and green plumage. The peacock "tail", known as a "train", consists not of tail quill feathers, but highly elongated upper tail coverts. These feathers are marked with eyespots, best seen when a peacock fans his tail.

In Hinduism, the peacock is the mount of the Lord Kartikeya, the god of war. A demon king, Surapadman, was split into two by Karthikeya and the merciful lord converted the two parts as an integral part of himself, one becoming a peacock (his mount) and another a rooster adorning his flag. The peacock displays the divine shape of Omkara when it spreads its magnificent plumes into a full-blown circular form. Peacock feathers also adorn the crest of Lord Krishna, an avatar of Lord Vishnu, one of the trimurti. In the Sinhalese zodiac, peacock is the third animal zodiac of the Sinhalese people of Sri Lanka. Peacocks (often a symbol of pride and vanity) were believed to deliberately consume poisonous substances in order to become immune to them, as well as to make the colours of their resplendent plumage all the more vibrant - seeing as so many poisonous flora and fauna are so colorful this idea appears to have merit. The Buddhist deity Mahamayuri is depicted seated on a peacock. Peacocks are seen supporting the throne of Amitabha, the ruby red sunset colored archetypal Buddha of Infinite Light.

Ancient Greeks believed that the flesh of peafowl did not decay after death, so it became a symbol of immortality. This symbolism was adopted by early Christianity, thus many early Christian paintings and mosaics show the peacock. The peacock is still used in the Easter season, especially in the east. The 'eyes' in the peacock's tail feathers symbolise the all-seeing Christian God and – in some interpretations – the Church. A peacock drinking from a vase is used as a symbol of a Christian believer drinking from the waters of eternal life. The peacock can also symbolise the cosmos if one interprets its tail with its many 'eyes' as the vault of heaven dotted by the sun, moon, and stars. By Christian adoption of old Persian and Babylonian symbolism, in which the peacock was associated with Paradise and the Tree of Life, the bird is again associated with immortality. In Christian iconography, the peacock is often depicted next to the Tree of Life.

Note: The watermark will not appear on the print you purchase.

Featured in the Wisconsin Flowers and Scenery group, February 2014.

Featured in the Amazing Still Life Artwork group, March 2017.

Uploaded

May 16th, 2013