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Rosa chinensis with Butterflies and Bee: PD.273-1973

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Current Location: In storage

Titles

Rosa chinensis with Butterflies and Bee

Maker(s)

Draughtsman: Canton workshop

Entities

Categories

Description

This is a Chinese export watercolour depicting pink Chinese roses (Rosa chinesis) with two butterflies and a bee. The illustration features several branches with delicate pink roses in various stages of bloom. There are three fully opened roses - one on the left and two clustered together on the right; several rose buds are painted in deeper pink. The green leaves on the branches are arranged in the characteristic compound leaf pattern of roses. Some leaves show brown edges. On the left is a yellow butterfly with blue markings and black edges on the wings. On the top is a swallow tail butterfly with white and red spots along the edge of its wing. On the right is a bumble bee. A Chinese inscription at the lower left corner reads “changchun hua 長春花”, a common name for Rosa chinesis). 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 “Roses in bud and bloom, surrounded by butterflies and insects”.

Acquisition and important dates

Method of acquisition: Bequeathed (1973) by Fairhaven, Henry Rogers Broughton

School or Style

Chinese
Chinese export art
Chinese export watercolour

Materials used in production

Bodycolour

Components of the work

Support composed of paper
Paper Height 296 mm Width 408 mm

Techniques used in production

Watercolour : Bodycolour on paper

Identification numbers

Accession number: PD.273-1973
Primary reference Number: 23115

Audit data

Created: Saturday 6 August 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) "Rosa chinensis with Butterflies and Bee" Web page available at: https://collection.beta.fitz.ms/id/object/23115 Accessed: 2025-12-09 05:10:09

Citation for Wikipedia

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{{cite web|url=https://collection.beta.fitz.ms/id/object/23115 |title=Rosa chinensis with Butterflies and Bee |author=The Fitzwilliam Museum|accessdate=2025-12-09 05:10:09|publisher=The University of Cambridge}}

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