Single flower on its stem
Draughtsman: Canton workshop
This is a botanical illustration showing a chrysanthemum with a distinctive spider or thread-petal form. The flower head features delicate, ribbon-like petals in white with pink tips, creating an airy, almost ethereal appearance. The petals curl and twist gracefully, radiating from a central point. The stem is rendered in a fresh green colour and supports several deeply lobed chrysanthemum leaves typical of the species. In early 19th century, Chinese botanical illustrations were often commissioned by European botanists, naturalists, and wealthy collectors who were eager to document and understand Asian flora. Chinese artists, working primarily in watercolours, adapted their traditional painting techniques to meet European demands for scientific accuracy while maintaining their distinctive artistic style. These illustrations became important resources for European botanical studies, contributing significantly to the documentation and understanding of Asian plant species in the West. These works now serve as valuable records of both botanical history and cross-cultural artistic exchange during a period of increasing global connection. Previously described as "single flower on its stem".
Method of acquisition: Bequeathed (1973) by Fairhaven, Henry Rogers Broughton
19th Century
Production date:
circa
AD 1800
Support
composed of
paper
Paper
Height 336 mm
Width 250 mm
Watercolour : Bodycolour on paper
Accession number: PD.269-1973
Primary reference Number: 23111
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 (2025) "Single flower on its stem" Web page available at: https://collection.beta.fitz.ms/id/object/23111 Accessed: 2025-04-30 07:45:20
To cite this record on Wikipedia you can use this code snippet:
{{cite web|url=https://collection.beta.fitz.ms/id/object/23111
|title=Single flower on its stem
|author=The Fitzwilliam Museum|accessdate=2025-04-30 07:45:20|publisher=The
University of Cambridge}}
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-23111
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