The Rose Festival is the second of two compositions Mowbray realized of the same delightful subject. The first dates from 1887 and hints to a Middle Eastern setting, while the present work is possibly from a later date and only vaguely Orientalizing. The European-looking women in the foreground could be easily mistaken for French beauties, leisurely assisting with the rose harvest in the hills of Provence. Like many of his contemporaries, Mowbray chose the subject of the rose harvest as a dramatic opportunity to showcase his masterful use of color and composition.

Lawrence Alma-Tadema created his celebrated The Roses of Heliogabalus in 1888 based on a true episode from the life of the short-lived but cruel Roman Emperor Heliogabalus.The work juxtaposes its immediate decorative appeal to the apparent cruelty of the scene being played out, where courtiers were smothered to death by the large amount of rose petals being released on them (Fig. 1).

Fig. 1 Sir Lawrence Alma-Tadema, The Roses of Heliogabalus, 1888, Private collection.

Rudolf Ernst displayed similar fascination with the subject of the rose harvest by conceiving a number of compositions, such as The Perfume Makers (Fig. 2), no doubt reacting to the great demand from his admiring audience.

Fig. 2 Rudolf Ernst, The Perfume Makers, Private collection.

Roses were extremely fashionable in England and continental Europe, and exotic varieties were grown and exhibited at country fairs. For perfume making, the pink rosa centifolia, or May rose, was and continues to be highly desirable due to its unmistakable intense fragrance.