Composition 23

“The ranunculus is a flower I adore,” Harald says, “They’re so exuberant, so vibrant. I wanted to celebrate them with something extremely lavish, rich and luxurious.”

And this image is lavish, rich and luxurious in the extreme, as it should be for a flower traditionally associated with charm, attraction and spell-binding beauty.

Just look at that arrangement! It would be a challenge for any viewer not to be spell-bound by the mesmerising array of hot colours, from yellows to oranges, pinks and purples to scarlet reds. Spell-binding too are their forms, tightly curled petals, nodding, unfurling heads, frilly specimens brought in from Japan.

Equally spell-binding are the beautiful things that surround the flowers in this luxury-defining image. The gorgeous, delicate Chinese urn that contains the flowers; exquisite embroidered silks; lush fruit, pomegranates, citrus, figs, apricot; the glints of mother-of-pearl seashells and the glorious bird of paradise, with his long, plumed tail, emerging from the flowers.