Peach Blossom with Peacock Swallowtail and Grass Yellow Butterflies
Draughtsman: Canton workshop
This is a Chinese export watercolour depicting peach blossom with two butterflies. The illustration features several branches with delicate pink five-petaled flowers in various stages of bloom - from tight buds to fully opened blossoms. The flowers display visible yellow stamens and pistils at their centers. The green leaves on the branches are arranged in serrated, compound patterns, with some smaller leaves showing hints of purple or red coloration. A bilingual inscription at the lower right corner reads “tao hua 桃花 peach”, a common name for Prunus persica. On the left is a small grass yellow butterfly (Eurema); it has yellow wings with black borders. On the right is a peacock swallowtail; it has iridescent green wing patches. Both insects show delicate antennae and detailed wing patterns. 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 “A branch with flowers surrounded by butterflies”.
Height: 444 mm
Width: 368 mm
Method of acquisition: Bequeathed (1973) by Fairhaven, Henry Rogers Broughton
Chinese
Chinese export art
Chinese export watercolour
Support composed of paper
Watercolour : Bodycolour on paper
Accession number: PD.275-1973
Primary reference Number: 23117
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) "Peach Blossom with Peacock Swallowtail and Grass Yellow Butterflies" Web page available at: https://collection.beta.fitz.ms/id/object/23117 Accessed: 2025-12-29 16:01:28
To cite this record on Wikipedia you can use this code snippet:
{{cite web|url=https://collection.beta.fitz.ms/id/object/23117
|title=Peach Blossom with Peacock Swallowtail and Grass Yellow Butterflies
|author=The Fitzwilliam Museum|accessdate=2025-12-29 16:01:28|publisher=The
University of Cambridge}}
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