The discreet albeit important place found by the violet in the evolution of the art of painting is the direct result of the flower's color, form and symbolism. Its association with virtues such as modesty and faithfulness finds it in medieval missals and gothic psalters' illustrations, reaching their widest display in The Book of Hours and glorious tapestries such as "The Lady and the Unicorn".

    However, it is in the 15^th century, that the violet appears for the first time as an independent theme in German artist Albrecht Dürer's charming,  masterly watercolor design, "A bouquet of violets" .  From Dürer's time on, the violet is used in numerous Renaissance garden paintings, emerging most noticeably at the foot of the Sienna school madonnas. Various collections of botanical illustrations continue the violet's symbolic and pictorial roles until the 18^th century when it is suddenly forgotten.  But then, true to form, the violets return most triumphantly in the next century, widely popular thanks to the aesthetic and political efforts put forward by Empress Eugenie of France (Napoleon III's consort).

    The violet's presence is most remarkable in the Impressionist works of Edouard Manet, whose "Bouquet of Violets," ties the flowers, a fan and a note in a subtle ensemble representing the three indispensable accessories that made the love codes of that time. In another work, Manet brings forward the profound hues of the violet's color, placing a somber bouquet of violets on the black dress of Berthe Morisot, his sister in law and fellow artist.

    By the end of the 19^th century, most artists had at one time or another tried the violet as a theme, but this was done mostly as an accessory to the ambiance or portraiture art rather than as a study of the flower itself. Good examples of the latter are the works of American Impressionist, Lilla Cabot Perry in her Lady with a Bowl of Violets and Portrait of Mrs. Joseph Clark Drew.

    Conversely, fashionable Victorian painters and amateur artists produced charming and countless renditions of the romantic, ubiquitous bouquet of violets to satisfy the demands of the increasingly popular postcard and advertising industries. Amongst the most famous in this category:  Paul de Longpre, Catherine Klein, J. McFall and Syman Powell.

    The last 20 years or so have seen a renewed interest in the art of botanical illustrations.  Numerous artists in various areas of the world have produced lovely and accurate works depicting the violet, both as a cultivar and as a wildflower.  In the near future, The American Violet Society will feature a few of these accomplished artists.

    The following is a listing of well-known works of art and paintings favored with a violet theme.

Anonymous (end of XV century)	The Lady and the Unicorn Musee du Moyen-age, Thermes de Cluny, Paris, France
Dürer, Albrecht (1471-1528)	Bouquet of Violets	Albertine Museum, Vienna
Chasseriau, Theodore	Mademoiselle de Cabarrus (1848) Musee des Beaux-Arts Quimper, France
Tissot, James J.J. (1836-1902)	Jeune Femme en veste (1864) Musee d'Orsay, Paris
Manet, Edouard (1832-1883)	Berthe Morisot au chapeau noir et au Bouquet de violettes (1872) Private Collection
	Bouquet de Violettes (1872) Private Collection
Cabot Perry, Lilla (1848-1933)	Portrait of Mrs. Joseph Clark Grew Private Collection
	Lady with a bowl of violets Museum of Women in the Arts, Washington, DC
Magritte, Rene (1898-1967)	La Grande Guerre (1964) Private Collection
	Le Chant de la Violette (1951) Private collection