Love in all its forms has been depicted by the image of the rose and fascination in the flowers symbolism has been admired by poets and captured by painters for centuries. This magic flower became especially popular in the 17th century. This image rich book contains famous paintings and still life’s depicting roses, many quotes and poems written about them, and images of the earliest botanical prints. The Romance of the Rose describes images of the 13,000 varieties of roses depicted as early as a 4000 year old fresco in the Minoan place in Knossos on Krete. Many famous paintings overlook the fact that they contain roses, such as Sandro Botticilli’s Birth of Venus. This coffee table book explains why this flower has been admired since the beginning of time.