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Red Silk Cotton (Bombax ceiba): PD.133-1973.9

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Current Location: In storage

Titles

Red Silk Cotton (Bombax ceiba)

Maker(s)

Canton workshop

Entities

Categories

Description

This is a Chinese export watercolour depicting Bombax ceiba, commonly known as red silk cotton tree or kapok. The illustration features a curved woody branch displaying the plant's most distinctive characteristics during its flowering period. Two prominent coral-red to orange-red flowers are shown in full bloom, each has five broad, fleshy petals surrounding a dense cluster of yellow stamens. Multiple green buds in various stages of development are scattered along the branch. The foliage is represented by a single compound leaf showing the palmate arrangement characteristic of Bombax ceiba, with five to seven elongated leaflets radiating from a central point. The leaflets display the typical lanceolate shape with prominent parallel venation. A Chinese inscription at the lower left corner reads “mumianhua木棉花”, red silk cotton. 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.

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

Watercolour
Bodycolour
White bodycolour

Components of the work

Support composed of paper
Paper Height 312 mm Width 384 mm

Techniques used in production

Watercolour : Watercolour and some bodycolour with white on thin paper, backed with second sheet, and both tipped in on the album sheet

Identification numbers

Accession number: PD.133-1973.9
Primary reference Number: 32418

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) "Red Silk Cotton (Bombax ceiba)" Web page available at: https://collection.beta.fitz.ms/id/object/32418 Accessed: 2025-12-09 13:54:57

Citation for Wikipedia

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{{cite web|url=https://collection.beta.fitz.ms/id/object/32418 |title=Red Silk Cotton (Bombax ceiba) |author=The Fitzwilliam Museum|accessdate=2025-12-09 13:54:57|publisher=The University of Cambridge}}

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        alt="Red Silk Cotton (Bombax ceiba)"
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        <figcaption class="figure-caption text-info">Red Silk Cotton (Bombax ceiba)</figcaption>
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