This is a black and white silver gelatin print of a single, rounded leaf shown against a flat, black background. The image possesses a sense of fragility and ethereality that differs from the fleshy quality of Mapplethorpe’s Orchid photographs. The delicate armature of the leaf, its veins spreading from a single, thin stem, is highlighted against the dark background. Mapplethorpe photographed different types of leaves, sometimes shown isolated as is the case here, at other times placed in a vase. These studio works are highly staged and, as with all of Mapplethorpe’s photographs, lit with precision.