The books, artworks and traditions that nourish the symbolic world of Telling Roses.

The Rose Teller Library is continually expanding as new books, artworks and historical sources inform the evolution of our symbolic collections.

Sources & Originality

The following references document the historical, artistic, literary and symbolic inspirations behind the Telling Roses collections. They are intended as research sources rather than direct models for the artworks.

Every Telling Roses creation is based on original drawings and concepts presenting a contemporary reinterpretation of myths, symbols and the historical language of roses.

Athanor Rose
Aurora Rosy Fingers
Blue Roses Triskelion
  • Chinese folktale The Princess and the Blue Rose
  • Celtic Triskelion
  • Blue rose symbolism
Bridal Dress
Centifolia
Maiden's Blush
  • Language of Flowers — Kate Greenaway
  • Practical Magic (film costumes)
  • Les Roses — Pierre-Joseph Redouté (Rosa alba 'Maiden's Blush')
Moss Rose
Red Rose Buds
Red Rose Buds & Thorns Dress
Rosa Carolina
  • Le Langage des Fleurs — Charlotte de Latour
  • Les Roses — Pierre-Joseph Redouté (Rosa carolina)
Rosaspina
Roses & Souls
The Damask Rose Two Pieces
Venus & Adonis
Venus Old Roses

General Research Sources

Rose History & Botany
  • The Rose Book — Phaidon
  • Die Geschichte der Rose — Peter E. Kukielski & Charles Phillips
  • Ritratti di Rose — Paolo Focherni Coizzi
  • Royal Horticultural Society
  • Les Roses — Pierre-Joseph Redouté
Floriography
Symbolism
  • Dizionario dei Simboli — Jean Chevalier & Alain Gheerbrant
  • Emblemata – Andrea Alciato
  • Signs & Symbols: An Illustrated Guide to
  • Their Origins and Meanings — DK
  • Simboli e allegorie — Matilde Battistini
  • La natura e i suoi simboli — Lucia Impelluso
Mythology
  • Eroi e Dei dell'antichità — Luca Impelluso
  • Alchemy & Esotericism
    Astrologia, magia, alchimia — Matilde Battistini
  • I Dizionari dell'Arte – Alchimia
  • Metamorphoses — Ovid
  • The Alchemy Website – Virtual Museum of Alchemical Manuscripts & Engravings
Literature / Psychology & Archetypes
  • The Divine Comedy — Dante Alighieri
  • Le Roman de la Rose
  • The Name of the Rose — Umberto Eco
  • Magic Lessons — Alice Hoffman
  • Man and His Symbols- Carl Gustav Jung
  • Women Who Run With the Wolves — Clarissa Pinkola Estés
  • Symbols of Transformation- Carl Gustav Jung
  • The Archetypes and the Collective Unconscious- Carl Gustav Jung

Art History & Visual Research
  • Botanical illustration
  • Dutch Golden Age still-life painting
  • Medieval illuminated manuscripts
  • Pierre-Joseph Redouté
  • Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood
  • Renaissance painting
  • Symbolism artistic movement