IDENTIFIERS ----------- id: 23110 accession number: PD.268-1973 DATE AUDIT ---------- created: Saturday 6 August 2011 updated: Thursday 28 August 2025 DESCRIPTIVE DATA ---------------- object type: 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". 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/23110 SUBJECTS ------------------- plant plant TECHNIQUES ---------- bodycolour on paper watercolour CATEGORIES ------ category: drawing DATING ------ culture: 19th Century CREATORS -------- maker: Canton workshop