Wax flowers are decorative arrangements of flowers, fruit and foliage modelled in wax, a craft that became extremely popular in Britain during the Victorian period. Petals and leaves were cut from thin sheets of coloured wax, shaped by hand, tinted and assembled on wire stems to produce remarkably lifelike bouquets.
Wax modelling was considered a fashionable and respectable accomplishment for women, and instruction books and materials were widely sold from the mid-nineteenth century. Finished displays were usually protected beneath glass domes on turned or ebonised wooden bases, sitting on mantelpieces and side tables alongside cased taxidermy, shellwork and other parlour curiosities. Wax was also used for funeral and mourning wreaths, wedding headdresses and anatomical and botanical models. Because wax is fragile and softens with heat, surviving examples are vulnerable to fading, dust, insect damage and drooping, and a complete original dome is an important part of an arrangement's value. Buyers should check for cracks in the glass and replacement bases. Well-preserved wax flowers capture the Victorian love of nature and display, and they make striking additions to period-style interiors and cabinets of curiosities.
