Triptych in oak with a series of hand-sculpted, cast and gilded gypsum flowers & roundels
Hortus Conclusus, meaning ‘enclosed garden’, references the cloistered garden of early Renaissance master, Fra Angelico’s Annunciation (1430-32). The fascinating tapestry of jewel-like flowers and foliage that make up the groundwork of this painting, alongside millefleurs tapestries and gold-worked borders of ecclesiastical robes, serve as inspiration for this travelling triptych.
Hortus Conclusus is decorated with a depiction of embroidered, gilded cloth, and opens to reveal a wild constellation of floating golden flowers and foliage that focus on the intricate detail of the earth, whilst pointing to the heavens.
Working with dental tools and surgical knives, Coryndon models the ‘goldwork’ flowers in jeweller’s putty. The carved surfaces resembling the stitched gold work seen in tapestries. Moulds are then made, and the flowers and leaves cast in plaster before being shaped, gilded, and shaded with inks to enhance the fine details. The piece is then assembled, floating one flower above another to create an illuminated meadow of wildflowers.