Click on image to see full size

The name "pomegranate" derives from Latin pomum ("apple") and granatus ("seeded"). There is much mythology and symbolism surrounding the fruit, which is often seen as a symol offertility and promise. In Greek mythology the seasons are attributed to Persephone eating four of the seeds whilst was being held in the underworld by Hades, god of the underworld. Many artists have depicted the pomegranate, including Sandro Botticelli , Leonardo Da Vinci and Dante Gabriel Rossetti.

The pomegranate fruit was also an emblem in the coat of arms of Catherine of Aragon (1485 - 1536). She was King Henry VIII's first wife. However, when Queen Catherine didn't produce a male heir, His Majesty settled on Anne Boleyn. With a new queen ensconced in the Palace, her first decree was a new coat of arms, showing a white falcon pecking at a pomegranate.

However, my reasons for painting the fruit is essentially that Pomegranates are such a fabulous fruit, deep red and full of little bursts of flavour. I have been lucky enough to travel to places where they grow on the trees and when I was small, picking pomegranate seeds could make for a whole afternoon’s entertainment. My friend Cath once ruined her mum’s wall-paper by eating a pomegranate (with a pin) just a bit too close to the wall..!