Description

Holly by P. Buckley Moss

Introduction

Holly by P. Buckley Moss is a 1987 limited, numbered lithograph built around a single young figure and one of the most enduring plants of the Christmas season. The girl stands against an open white background holding long sprays of green holly leaves and red berries, dressed in a deep green gown with textured sleeves, a pale patterned apron, and a dark bonnet.

The simplicity of the composition gives equal importance to the figure and the greenery she carries. Canada Goose Gallery’s approved inventory confirms Holly as Product ID 64749, a 1987 Rare, limited, numbered lithograph, currently priced at $165.00, with classifications including Children and Christmas.

Story Behind the Artwork

Moss removes nearly every environmental detail from Holly. There is no house, landscape, Christmas tree, or larger holiday gathering. Instead, one girl and a few branches of winter greenery tell the story.

That restraint makes the title especially important. Holly can be read both as the plant she carries and as a girl’s name, giving the work a gentle wordplay that connects the figure directly to the Christmas greenery in her hands.

The supplied gallery description associates the print with Canada Goose Gallery’s Girl Name, One Girl, and Christmas groupings. These remain useful subject and merchandising classifications, but they should not be confused with the gallery’s formal Master Collections.

Symbols & Meaning

Holly has a long history in winter and Christmas decorating because its evergreen leaves remain vivid through the colder months and its berries provide bright seasonal color. Over time, the plant has accumulated both pre-Christian winter traditions and later Christian associations. The Royal Horticultural Society notes that holly was used in older protective traditions and was later interpreted in Christianity through associations between its prickled leaves, red berries, and the Passion of Christ.

Within this artwork, the greenery can reasonably evoke Christmas tradition, continuity through winter, and seasonal celebration. Those are culturally grounded interpretations; no documented artist statement has been supplied assigning a specific symbolic meaning to the plant in this particular print.

Artistic Details

The vertical composition emphasizes the girl’s elongated figure, while the diagonal holly stems introduce movement across the otherwise still pose. Their pointed leaves extend well beyond her body, preventing the centered composition from becoming rigid.

Color is tightly controlled. Deep and muted greens dominate the dress and holly, while the white apron creates a broad area of light through the center. The berries provide small but vivid red accents that immediately connect the greenery with traditional Christmas color.

The unprinted white background is also important. With no setting competing for attention, Moss allows the figure’s clothing, expression, and the distinctive shape of the holly leaves to carry the entire image.

Featured Master Collections

Primary Master Collection: Christmas Traditions

The holly, red berries, green palette, and verified Christmas classification make Christmas Traditions the strongest editorial assignment. Canada Goose Gallery describes this Master Collection as a framework for family and seasonal heritage and for artwork connected with recurring holiday traditions.

Supporting Master Collection: Rare & Remarkable

Canada Goose Gallery’s approved inventory explicitly classifies Holly as Rare Art and as a Rare limited-edition lithograph, giving this supporting assignment firm edition-based support.

Supporting Master Collection: Childhood & Storytelling

The single young girl is the unmistakable human subject, so Childhood & Storytelling provides an appropriate additional connection. This assignment should remain secondary to the clearer Christmas and Rare identities.

Decorating Ideas

The narrow 5-1/8 x 2-3/8-inch image makes Holly especially useful for smaller spaces and collected arrangements. It can work well in an entryway, bedroom, dining area, hallway, or Christmas gallery wall, particularly where a tall, slender artwork fills a space that would overwhelm a wider composition.

Its green, cream, brown, and red palette complements traditional, cottage, farmhouse, and historic-inspired holiday décor.

Gift Ideas

Because the title works naturally as both a plant name and personal name, Holly has an especially clear gift audience: someone named Holly. It can also appeal to collectors of Moss’s single-girl imagery, Christmas artwork, botanical subjects, and documented Rare Art editions.

Christmas, a winter birthday, or a family gift for a daughter or granddaughter named Holly are particularly natural occasions.

About the Edition

Artist: P. Buckley Moss
Title: Holly
Year: 1987
Medium: Lithograph
Edition: Limited, numbered edition
Gallery-supplied numbered edition: 1,000
Gallery-supplied Artist Proofs: 25
Image size: 5-1/8 x 2-3/8 inches
Paper size: 10-1/2 x 8 inches
Condition: New, mint condition
Product ID: 64749
Current approved CGG reference price: $165.00
CGG classification: Rare Art
Verified subjects: Children; Christmas; approved inventory also carries Amish Art and Folk Art taxonomy

Canada Goose Gallery’s approved inventory independently verifies the 1987 date, Rare status, limited and numbered lithograph format, Product ID, current price, and Christmas/Children classifications.

🎨 Fun Fact:

Those familiar red holly “berries” are not produced by every holly plant. The Royal Horticultural Society explains that the colorful fruits occur on female or self-fertile forms, and many hollies require a compatible male plant nearby for pollination before berries can develop. Holly also comes in more colors than Christmas décor might suggest: depending on the species or cultivar, its fruits can be red, yellow, orange, or even black.

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🖼️ Collector’s Insight:

What distinguishes Holly is the unusually direct relationship between title, figure, and object. Moss does not surround the girl with an elaborate Christmas setting; instead, the long holly branches become the entire seasonal narrative. The narrow vertical image emphasizes the figure, while the diagonal greenery and tiny red berries keep the composition animated. For collectors, the work combines a verified 1987 Rare Art classification with a strong single-figure identity and an especially useful name-based gift connection, all without depending on unsupported claims about demand or future value.

Why Buy from Canada Goose Gallery

Canada Goose Gallery specializes in the artwork of P. Buckley Moss and provides collectors with clear edition, condition, subject, and inventory information. Holly is documented in approved gallery records as a Rare, limited, numbered 1987 lithograph and is offered new and in mint condition.

Continue Exploring

Continue with Canada Goose Gallery’s:

• P. Buckley Moss Rare Prints
• Christmas Traditions
• Rare & Remarkable
• Childhood & Storytelling

Suggested Categories & Subjects:

• P. Buckley Moss Fine Art Prints
• P. Buckley Moss Rare Prints
• Certificate of Authenticity FAQ
• The Collections Hub
• Christmas
• Children
• One Girl Prints
• Girl Name Prints

A Legacy of Childhood & Girl Names

As an icon of American art, Pat Moss captured the innocence of childhood like no other. Owning a piece from this rare series of named prints is owning a part of her historical legacy. The perfect heirloom gift for the Holly in your family—a rare, limited edition P. Buckley Moss classic.

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“A Christmas gift for Holly.”