Carnations

This sheet shows three red and white blossoms, two from the front and one from the side, as well as six buds. In addition to the graceful and complex intertwining of two carnation stems, the sheet reveals the delicate graphite underdrawing. Due to the slight fading of the yellows and thin application of washes, Carnations allows us to get a closer look at Ehret's creative process. The sheet makes clear how he applied layer after layer of translucent watercolors to achieve his meticulous botanical portraits.