White-browed Shrike-babbler (Pteruthius aeralatus) Standing on a Hydrangea Plant
The composition features a white-browed shrike-babbler (Pteruthius aeralatus), precisely rendered with its distinctive black plumage, white breast and characteristic white brow stripe above its eye. The bird has a golden-brown patch on its wing and bright yellow legs and is depicted perched on a branch among pink hydrangea blooms. The hydrangea is shown in full bloom with clusters of small pink flowers and deep green leaves with clearly defined veination. The plant is rendered with careful attention to botanical accuracy, showing both flowers and foliage. Above the scene, bare branches extend into the composition, adding depth and naturalistic context. The artwork demonstrates meticulous attention to both ornithological and botanical details, capturing the distinctive features of this Southern Chinese bird species as well as the complex structure of the hydrangea flowers. The illustration combines scientific accuracy with artistic composition, characteristic of Chinese natural history paintings of this period.
Height: 185 mm
Width: 295 mm
Chinese
Chinese export art
Chinese export watercolour
Support composed of pith paper
Watercolour : Watercolour and body colour on pith paper
Accession number: 4205.5
Primary reference Number: 317654
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) "White-browed Shrike-babbler (Pteruthius aeralatus) Standing on a Hydrangea Plant" Web page available at: https://data.fitzmuseum.cam.ac.uk/id/object/317654 Accessed: 2025-12-08 15:26:07
To cite this record on Wikipedia you can use this code snippet:
{{cite web|url=https://data.fitzmuseum.cam.ac.uk/id/object/317654
|title=White-browed Shrike-babbler (Pteruthius aeralatus) Standing on a Hydrangea Plant
|author=The Fitzwilliam Museum|accessdate=2025-12-08 15:26:07|publisher=The
University of Cambridge}}
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https://data.fitzmuseum.cam.ac.uk/api/v1/objects/object-317654
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