IDENTIFIERS
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id:	317654
accession number:	4205.5

DATE AUDIT
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created:	Monday 4 November 2024
updated:	Thursday 17 July 2025

DESCRIPTIVE DATA
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object type: 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.
title:	watercolour

LICENSING
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text license status:	CC0
image license status:	CC-BY-NC-SA

OWNERSHIP
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instutition: The Fitzwilliam Museum
department: Paintings, Drawings and Prints

STABLE URL
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url:	https://data.fitzmuseum.cam.ac.uk/id/object/317654





TECHNIQUES
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watercolour and body colour on pith paper
watercolour


DATING
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culture:	19th Century

CREATORS
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maker: Canton workshop

DIMENSIONS
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dimension: Height
units: mm
value: 185

dimension: Width
units: mm
value: 295