Narcissus

This ox is owned by its sponsor.

Artist:   Pam Ruch & the Artists of Morven

Sponsor:   Pheasant Hill Foundation

Artist's Design Statement

History can be told through canals and locomotives. It can be told through draft animals and waterwheels. It can also be told through historic houses and their heirloom flowers. Narcissus poeticus, the Poet’s Daffodil, was first mentioned in the botanical writings of Theophrastus, c. 300 BCE. Its red-rimmed “pheasant’s eye” and pure white petals are thought to have inspired Ovid’s tale of Narcissus, the beautiful but vain young man who fell in love with his own reflection. The Campernelle Daffodil, a delicate antique with a rich scent, dates back to the 16th century. Gold-trumpeted ‘Emperor’ Daffodil, modern by comparison, was introduced by a 19th century breeder and planted by Henry DuPont in his gardens at Winterthur. The history of flowers is not static. It is subtle, ever-evolving, and on view everywhere.

Historic daffodils can be seen at Morven Museum in Princeton, and both the new and the old make up a grand spring display at Pheasant Hill, home of Robert Wilson, sponsor of “Narcissus.” 

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