IDENTIFIERS ----------- id: 23123 accession number: PD.280-1973 DATE AUDIT ---------- created: Saturday 6 August 2011 updated: Thursday 28 August 2025 DESCRIPTIVE DATA ---------------- object type: This is a Chinese export watercolour depicting Indian shot (Canna indica) with two butterflies and a grasshopper. The illustration features a tall stem with red-orange Indian shot blooming at the top, displaying the characteristic narrow petals and sepals, some with yellow accents. Several green seed pods or buds are visible along the flower spike. The plant has long, strap-like green leaves radiating from the base. The leaves show fine parallel veining and some display small yellow spots or markings that may indicate disease or natural variegation. A Chinese inscription at the lower left corner reads “shui jiao hua 水蕉花”, Canna indica. Three insects are depicted around the flowers: a large brown grasshopper on one of the flowers on the left; a butterfly with striped wing patterns in the upper right; and a yellow butterfly with black wing borders in the lower left. Each insect is rendered with careful attention to anatomical details. Three insects are depicted around the flower: a small reddish-brown dragonfly on the left; a large black butterfly with white spots and orange bands feeding on the main bloom; and another butterfly at the top right with intricate patterns of blue, orange, and white markings on its wings. The painting demonstrates the fine brushwork characteristic of Chinese export art from the late 18th or early 19th century, combining traditional Chinese flower-and-bird painting style and Western botanical illustration. Previously described as “stem with flowers in bud and bloom, surrounded by butterflies and insects”. title: drawing LICENSING --------- text license status: CC0 image license status: CC-BY-NC-SA OWNERSHIP --------- instutition: The Fitzwilliam Museum department: Paintings, Drawings and Prints collection: Broughton Collection STABLE URL ---------- url: https://data.fitzmuseum.cam.ac.uk/id/object/23123 SUBJECTS ------------------- plant plant TECHNIQUES ---------- bodycolour on paper watercolour CATEGORIES ------ category: drawing DATING ------ culture: 19th Century CREATORS -------- maker: Canton workshop IMAGES surrogate: large format: jpeg location: https://data.fitzmuseum.cam.ac.uk/imagestore/pdp/pdp67/PD_280_1973_CE.jpg height: 707 pixels width: 1024 pixels surrogate: mid format: jpeg location: https://data.fitzmuseum.cam.ac.uk/imagestore/pdp/pdp67/mid_PD_280_1973_CE.jpg height: 345 pixels width: 500 pixels surrogate: original format: jpeg location: https://data.fitzmuseum.cam.ac.uk/imagestore/pdp/pdp67/PD_280_1973_CE.jpg height: 707 pixels width: 1024 pixels surrogate: preview format: jpeg location: https://data.fitzmuseum.cam.ac.uk/imagestore/pdp/pdp67/preview_PD_280_1973_CE.jpg height: 173 pixels width: 250 pixels surrogate: large format: jpeg location: https://data.fitzmuseum.cam.ac.uk/imagestore/portfolio/F25982D9_7CB9_CFFF_028E_8BBFC531887C/592/475/large_PD_280_1973_mas.jpg height: 768 pixels width: 1024 pixels surrogate: mid format: jpeg location: https://data.fitzmuseum.cam.ac.uk/imagestore/portfolio/F25982D9_7CB9_CFFF_028E_8BBFC531887C/592/475/mid_PD_280_1973_mas.jpg height: 375 pixels width: 500 pixels surrogate: original format: jpeg location: https://data.fitzmuseum.cam.ac.uk/imagestore/portfolio/F25982D9_7CB9_CFFF_028E_8BBFC531887C/592/475/PD_280_1973_mas.jpg height: 4008 pixels width: 5344 pixels surrogate: preview format: jpeg location: https://data.fitzmuseum.cam.ac.uk/imagestore/portfolio/F25982D9_7CB9_CFFF_028E_8BBFC531887C/592/475/preview_PD_280_1973_mas.jpg height: 188 pixels width: 250 pixels surrogate: zoom format: pyramid tiff location: https://data.fitzmuseum.cam.ac.uk/imagestore/portfolio/F25982D9_7CB9_CFFF_028E_8BBFC531887C/592/475/PD_280_1973_mas.ptif height: 4008 pixels width: 5344 pixels surrogate: large format: jpeg location: https://data.fitzmuseum.cam.ac.uk/imagestore/portfolio/F25982D9_7CB9_CFFF_028E_8BBFC531887C/631/760/large_PD_280_1973_dc1.jpg height: 763 pixels width: 1024 pixels surrogate: mid format: jpeg location: https://data.fitzmuseum.cam.ac.uk/imagestore/portfolio/F25982D9_7CB9_CFFF_028E_8BBFC531887C/631/760/mid_PD_280_1973_dc1.jpg height: 373 pixels width: 500 pixels surrogate: original format: jpeg location: https://data.fitzmuseum.cam.ac.uk/imagestore/portfolio/F25982D9_7CB9_CFFF_028E_8BBFC531887C/631/760/PD_280_1973_dc1.jpg height: 3317 pixels width: 4451 pixels surrogate: preview format: jpeg location: https://data.fitzmuseum.cam.ac.uk/imagestore/portfolio/F25982D9_7CB9_CFFF_028E_8BBFC531887C/631/760/preview_PD_280_1973_dc1.jpg height: 186 pixels width: 250 pixels