Reliquary Flower
Date1953
Label TextThe reliquary flower is a Victorian keepsake— an item of jewelry, a memento enshrined within a glass locket—a flower endowed with an individual’s memories and meaning. As Kenney paints it, a flower itself is a reliquary, a natural chamber filled with mystifying things that have mystical powers.
Object number2009.52.50
ProvenanceLeona Wood; Marshall and Helen Hatch, Seattle
Photo CreditPhoto: Elizabeth Mann
Exhibition HistoryLa Conner, Washington, Museum of Northwest Art, "Leo Kenny Retrospective: Celebrating the Mysteries", June 2 - October 1, 2000Credit LineGift of the Marshall and Helen Hatch Collection, in honor of the 75th Anniversary of the Seattle Art Museum
Dimensions23 x 18 1/2 in. (58.4 x 47 cm)
MediumOpaque watercolor and gold leaf on Chinese paper