Solanum violaceum with Butterflies and Bee
Draughtsman: Canton workshop
This is a Chinese export watercolour depicting Solanum violaceum with two butterflies and a bee. The tree has a thorny branch with lobed green leaves and clusters of red and green fruits. The fruits are ripening from green to red. There are also small purple flowers on the branch. Three insects are depicted: a large, detailed butterfly with orange, brown, and blue patterned wings in the upper right corner; a bee; and a smaller white butterfly. Each insect is rendered with careful attention to detail. The painting demonstrates the fine brushwork characteristic of Chinese export art from the late 18th or early 19th century, combing traditional Chinese flower-and-bird painting style and Western botanical illustration. Previously described as “branch with flowers, ripe and unripe berries, with airborne butterflies and insects”.
Height: 470 mm
Width: 362 mm
Method of acquisition: Bequeathed (1973) by Fairhaven, Henry Rogers Broughton
Support composed of paper
Watercolour : Bodycolour on paper
Accession number: PD.267-1973
Primary reference Number: 23109
Stable URI
Owner or interested party:
The Fitzwilliam Museum
Associated department:
Paintings, Drawings and Prints
This record can be cited in the Harvard Bibliographic style using the text below:
The Fitzwilliam Museum (2026) "Solanum violaceum with Butterflies and Bee" Web page available at: https://collection.beta.fitz.ms/id/object/23109 Accessed: 2026-01-03 17:05:08
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{{cite web|url=https://collection.beta.fitz.ms/id/object/23109
|title=Solanum violaceum with Butterflies and Bee
|author=The Fitzwilliam Museum|accessdate=2026-01-03 17:05:08|publisher=The
University of Cambridge}}
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