Mirabilis jalapa with Hestina assimilis and Colotis Butterfly
Draughtsman: Canton workshop
This is a Chinese export watercolour depicting the marvel of Peru (Mirabilis jalapa) with two butterflies. The illustration features two stems with bright yellow trumpet-shaped flowers marked with red stripes and long spurs extending from the backs of the blooms. The flowers grow from climbing stems with distinctive round, shield-shaped leaves. The leaves are various shades of green, with some showing yellowing at the edges. A bilingual inscription at the lower right corner reads “shuifen hua 水粉花 Mirabilis Marvel of Peru”, a common name for Mirabilis jalapa. Two butterflies are depicted in flight. On the top left is a large black butterfly with white spots and red markings along the wing edges; it is likely Hestina assimilis, commonly known as the red ring skirt. At the bottom right is a yellow butterfly with black wing borders and orange patches; it is likely the genus Colotis, also called orange tips. 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: 359 mm
Width: 435 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.277-1973
Primary reference Number: 23119
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) "Mirabilis jalapa with Hestina assimilis and Colotis Butterfly" Web page available at: https://collection.beta.fitz.ms/id/object/23119 Accessed: 2025-12-29 11:53:26
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{{cite web|url=https://collection.beta.fitz.ms/id/object/23119
|title=Mirabilis jalapa with Hestina assimilis and Colotis Butterfly
|author=The Fitzwilliam Museum|accessdate=2025-12-29 11:53:26|publisher=The
University of Cambridge}}
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