Skip to main content

Common pheasant (Phasianus colchicus): 4171.2

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

Terms of use

The low-resolution images published on this Website are made available under a Creative Commons Attribution licence (CC BY-NC-ND). For more details: Fitzwilliam Terms of Use

This licence does not include any images of works that are still in copyright. Artistic copyright extends from the life of the artist to 70 years from the end of the calendar year in which the artist died.

Download this image

For further information on use of images or to license a high resolution version, please contact our image library who can discuss terms and fees.

Alternative views

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

Titles

Common pheasant (Phasianus colchicus)

Maker(s)

Youqua

Entities

Categories

Description

{A watercolour drawing from the album 4171. This image depicts a male common pheasant (Phasianus colchicus), also known as a ring-necked pheasant, or blue-headed pheasant, positioned prominently on a dark rocky outcrop in a naturalistic landscape setting. The bird displays the species' characteristic spectacular plumage with an iridescent dark green head and neck adorned with bright red facial patches and wattles, a distinctive white collar around the neck, and richly colored body feathers in warm reddish-brown tone with golden and copper patterning. The most striking feature is the bird's long, barred tail, showcasing detailed striped patterns in brown and black. The setting features a dark grey rock topped with patches of green moss. The surrounding vegetation includes grasses, red gladiolus flowers, and Amaranthus tricolor. 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: 4171.2
Primary reference Number: 185664

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) "Common pheasant (Phasianus colchicus)" Web page available at: https://collection.beta.fitz.ms/id/object/185664 Accessed: 2025-12-17 07:59:44

Citation for Wikipedia

To cite this record on Wikipedia you can use this code snippet:

{{cite web|url=https://collection.beta.fitz.ms/id/object/185664 |title=Common pheasant (Phasianus colchicus) |author=The Fitzwilliam Museum|accessdate=2025-12-17 07:59:44|publisher=The University of Cambridge}}

API call for this record

To call these data via our API (remember this needs to be authenticated) you can use this code snippet:

https://collection.beta.fitz.ms/api/v1/objects/object-185664

Bootstrap HTML code for reuse

To use this as a simple code embed, copy this string:

<div class="text-center">
    <figure class="figure">
        <img src="https://data.fitzmuseum.cam.ac.uk/imagestore/pdp/pdp82/large_4171_282_29_201106_amt49_dc2.jpg"
        alt="Common pheasant (Phasianus colchicus)"
        class="img-fluid" />
        <figcaption class="figure-caption text-info">Common pheasant (Phasianus colchicus)</figcaption>
    </figure>
</div>

Sign up for updates

Updates about future exhibitions and displays, family activities, virtual events & news. You'll be the first to know...

University of Cambridge Museums logo
Cambridge City Council logo
Arts Council England Logo
Research England logo