Competition, International Rijksstudio Award 2017 of the Rijksmuseum.

With this competition the Rijksmuseum invites the public to create a peace of art inspired by the museums collection. I couldn’t let that chance go by!

  

photography by RVG Photography

de Heem Mantel

For the Internationale Rijksstudio Award 2017 I designed ‘de Heem Mantel’. This coat is inspired by the painting of flowers in a glass vase by Jan Davidsz de Heem 1650 – 1683. The flowers in the painting I encorporated in the lining of the garnment.

The coat has a finely tailored form with a spectaculair hood that van be worn in two different ways. The imposing hood with floral print drapes elegantly over the shoulders. When the hood is worn over the head it creates a beautiful cascading collar of flowers, each depicting a different meaning.

Materials

The design is a mix of traditional materials like dark brown woll and brightly coloured red silk. This is a stark contrast with the modern cotton flower print.

Symbols of flowers and colours 

Flowers symbolise passion and the emergence of life, but also stand for transience. Every type of flower has it’s own story. THe tulips stand for wealth and the Peony Rose symbolises luck, love and health. Roses without thorns stand for dignity. Emotions like passion, romance and desire are translated through Carnations. The Clematis depicts inner beauty. Colours also tell a story. Red stands for vitality , white represents purity and innocense.

In short a colourful coat symbolising many positive aspects.