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Pigeons: 4171.6

An image of Drawing
View image details Mirador icon - view image Mirador deep zoom IIIF Manifest IIIF Manifest Slow looking

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Alternative views

An image of Drawing
An image of Drawing
Current Location: In storage

Titles

Pigeons

Maker(s)

Youqua

Entities

Categories

Description

A watercolour drawing from the album 4171. This image depicts a pair of pigeons perched together on a gnarled flowering branch. The bird on the left shows darker charcoal-grey plumage across its head, neck, and wings, while the bird on the right displays a lighter grey head with dark markings around the neck area. Both birds possess the characteristic bright yellow-green eyes typical of many pigeon species and show distinctive white wing bars across their dark flight feathers. There are pink roses by the branch. The painting demonstrates the fine brushwork characteristic of Chinese export art from the late 18th or early 19th century, combining ornithological documentation and traditional Chinese flower-and-bird painting style.

Measurements and weight

Height: 250 mm
Width: 337 mm

Acquisition and important dates

Method of acquisition: Given (1909) by Bothamley, Rev. H.

Note

Export album made for the Western market

School or Style

Chinese
Chinese export art
Chinese export watercolour

Materials used in production

Watercolour
Bodycolour
White highlights
Ink

Components of the work

Support composed of pith paper

Techniques used in production

Drawing : Watercolour, bodycolour and ink with heightening in white on pith paper, laid down with with strips of blue silk-covered paper

Identification numbers

Accession number: 4171.6
Primary reference Number: 185668

Audit data

Created: Tuesday 11 October 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 (2026) "Pigeons" Web page available at: https://data.fitzmuseum.cam.ac.uk/id/object/185668 Accessed: 2026-01-15 03:02:08

Citation for Wikipedia

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{{cite web|url=https://data.fitzmuseum.cam.ac.uk/id/object/185668 |title=Pigeons |author=The Fitzwilliam Museum|accessdate=2026-01-15 03:02:08|publisher=The University of Cambridge}}

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https://data.fitzmuseum.cam.ac.uk/api/v1/objects/object-185668

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<div class="text-center">
    <figure class="figure">
        <img src="https://data.fitzmuseum.cam.ac.uk/imagestore/pdp/pdp82/large_4171_286_29_201106_amt49_dc2.jpg"
        alt="Pigeons"
        class="img-fluid" />
        <figcaption class="figure-caption text-info">Pigeons</figcaption>
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