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Silver Pheasants (Lophura nycthemera): 4171.1

An image of Drawing
View image details Mirador icon - view image Mirador deep zoom IIIF Manifest IIIF Manifest Slow looking

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An image of Drawing
An image of Drawing
Current Location: In storage

Titles

Silver Pheasants (Lophura nycthemera)

Maker(s)

Youqua

Entities

Categories

Description

A watercolour drawing from the album 4171. This image depicts a pair of silver pheasants (Lophura nycthemera) positioned on mossy rocks in a natural landscape setting. The male pheasant displays his characteristic dark reddish-brown plumage with a distinctive red facial patch and comb, while the female exhibits more subdued grey and white coloring with delicate scaled patterning across her body and an elegant long tail. The setting features rocks covered with green moss, creating a naturalistic habitat for the birds. Blue flowering plants emerge from behind the rocks where the pheasants perch. Delicate branches with fine needle-like foliage, suggesting coniferous vegetation, frame the upper portion of the composition. The painting demonstrates the fine brushwork characteristic of Chinese export art from the late 18th or early 19th century, combining ornithological documentation and traditional Chinese flower-and-bird painting style.

Measurements and weight

Height: 250 mm
Width: 337 mm

Acquisition and important dates

Method of acquisition: Given (1909) by Bothamley, Rev. H.

Note

Export album made for the Western market

School or Style

Chinese
Chinese export art
Chinese export watercolour

Materials used in production

Watercolour
Bodycolour
White highlights
Ink

Components of the work

Support composed of pith paper

Techniques used in production

Drawing : Watercolour, bodycolour and ink with heightening in white on pith paper, laid down with with strips of blue silk-covered paper

Identification numbers

Accession number: 4171.1
Primary reference Number: 185663

Audit data

Created: Tuesday 11 October 2011 Updated: Thursday 28 August 2025

Associated departments & institutions

Owner or interested party: The Fitzwilliam Museum
Associated department: Paintings, Drawings and Prints

Citation for print

This record can be cited in the Harvard Bibliographic style using the text below:

The Fitzwilliam Museum (2025) "Silver Pheasants (Lophura nycthemera)" Web page available at: https://collection.beta.fitz.ms/id/object/185663 Accessed: 2025-12-06 04:24:41

Citation for Wikipedia

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{{cite web|url=https://collection.beta.fitz.ms/id/object/185663 |title=Silver Pheasants (Lophura nycthemera) |author=The Fitzwilliam Museum|accessdate=2025-12-06 04:24:41|publisher=The University of Cambridge}}

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        <figcaption class="figure-caption text-info">Silver Pheasants (Lophura nycthemera)</figcaption>
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