Chrysanthemum
Draughtsman: Canton workshop
This is a Chinese export watercolour depicting a single chrysanthemum bloom on a stem. The flower head features petals in white with pink tips, showing a soft gradient effect. The bloom is fully open, showing its dense, layered petals arranged in a perfect circular formation typical of pompon-type chrysanthemums. The stem is painted in a soft green and rises vertically through the composition, with several serrated, deeply lobed chrysanthemum leaves attached at intervals. The leaves display the characteristic jagged edges of chrysanthemum foliage and are rendered in varying shades of green to suggest depth and natural variation. In early 19th century, Chinese botanical illustrations were often commissioned by European botanists, naturalists, and wealthy collectors who were eager to document and understand Asian flora. Chinese artists, working primarily in watercolours, adapted their traditional painting techniques to meet European demands for scientific accuracy while maintaining their distinctive artistic style. These illustrations became important resources for European botanical studies, contributing significantly to the documentation and understanding of Asian plant species in the West. These works now serve as valuable records of both botanical history and cross-cultural artistic exchange during a period of increasing global connection. Previously described as "single flower on its stem".
Method of acquisition: Bequeathed (1973) by Fairhaven, Henry Rogers Broughton
Support
composed of
paper
Paper
Height 335 mm
Width 250 mm
Watercolour : Bodycolour on paper
Accession number: PD.268-1973
Primary reference Number: 23110
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) "Chrysanthemum" Web page available at: https://data.fitzmuseum.cam.ac.uk/id/object/23110 Accessed: 2025-12-23 20:36:46
To cite this record on Wikipedia you can use this code snippet:
{{cite web|url=https://data.fitzmuseum.cam.ac.uk/id/object/23110
|title=Chrysanthemum
|author=The Fitzwilliam Museum|accessdate=2025-12-23 20:36:46|publisher=The
University of Cambridge}}
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https://data.fitzmuseum.cam.ac.uk/api/v1/objects/object-23110
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