Chrysanthemum
Draughtsman: Canton workshop
This is a Chinese export watercolour depicting a single white chrysanthemum bloom on a stem. The flower is fully open, showing its layered structure with numerous petals arranged in concentric circles. The white petals have subtle hints of pink on some of the edges. Many of the petals are depicted curled to show the soft texture. Several deeply lobed leaves in green are attached to the stem at different points. These leaves have the serrated edges and veining typical of chrysanthemum foliage. 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
Chinese
Chinese export art
Chinese export watercolour
Support
composed of
paper
Paper
Height 341 mm
Width 248 mm
Watercolour : Bodycolour on paper
Accession number: PD.271-1973
Primary reference Number: 23113
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) "Chrysanthemum" Web page available at: https://collection.beta.fitz.ms/id/object/23113 Accessed: 2025-12-08 07:50:42
To cite this record on Wikipedia you can use this code snippet:
{{cite web|url=https://collection.beta.fitz.ms/id/object/23113
|title=Chrysanthemum
|author=The Fitzwilliam Museum|accessdate=2025-12-08 07:50:42|publisher=The
University of Cambridge}}
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