Lychnis coronata with Two Butterflies and A Dragonfly
Draughtsman: Canton workshop
This is a Chinese export watercolour depicting rose companion (Lychnis coronata) with butterflies and a dragonfly. The illustration features several stems of Lychnis coronata with characteristic fringed pink flowers that have a flattened, almost carnation-like appearance. Five blooms are visible in various stages of development, displaying the distinctive notched or toothed petal edges typical of this species. The stems feature pairs of opposite, lance-shaped green leaves growing directly from the nodes. A Chinese inscription at the lower left corner reads “jianchun luo剪春羅”, rose companion (Lychnis coronata). Three insects surround the flowers: a large black butterfly with yellow markings (Papilio epius) on the left; a smaller black butterfly with blue and yellow spots on the right; and a delicate dragonfly with blue-green and pink transparent wings in the upper right corner. 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”.
Height: 296 mm
Width: 434 mm
Method of acquisition: Bequeathed (1973) by Fairhaven, Henry Rogers Broughton
Chinese
Chinese export art
Chinese export watercolour
Support composed of paper
Watercolour : Bodycolour on paper
Accession number: PD.283-1973
Primary reference Number: 23126
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) "Lychnis coronata with Two Butterflies and A Dragonfly" Web page available at: https://data.fitzmuseum.cam.ac.uk/id/object/23126 Accessed: 2025-12-06 14:37:28
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{{cite web|url=https://data.fitzmuseum.cam.ac.uk/id/object/23126
|title=Lychnis coronata with Two Butterflies and A Dragonfly
|author=The Fitzwilliam Museum|accessdate=2025-12-06 14:37:28|publisher=The
University of Cambridge}}
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