Assorted flowers: Squash Blossoms, Iris, and Camellias
The composition features a harmonious arrangement of several flower species: yellow Chinese squash blossoms with their characteristic five-petaled form, purple iris with their distinctive sword-like leaves, white camellias showing layered petals, and small red-orange and pink flowers that appear to be varieties of dianthus. The flowers are complemented by abundant green foliage showing varied leaf shapes and structures typical of each species. The artwork shows meticulous attention to botanical details, particularly in the rendering of leaf structures, the delicate flower petals, and the natural growth patterns of each species. Each flower type is depicted with careful attention to its distinctive characteristics - from the broad petals of the squash blossoms to the delicate structure of the iris blooms. The leaves show natural variations in size and shape, with precise attention to their venation patterns and the way they connect to the stems. The illustration combines scientific accuracy with artistic composition, characteristic of Chinese natural history paintings of this period.
Height: 188 mm
Width: 294 mm
Chinese
Chinese export art
Chinese export watercolour
Support composed of pith paper
Watercolour : Watercolour and body colour on pith paper
Accession number: 4205.11
Primary reference Number: 317657
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) "Assorted flowers: Squash Blossoms, Iris, and Camellias" Web page available at: https://data.fitzmuseum.cam.ac.uk/id/object/317657 Accessed: 2025-12-08 15:26:14
To cite this record on Wikipedia you can use this code snippet:
{{cite web|url=https://data.fitzmuseum.cam.ac.uk/id/object/317657
|title=Assorted flowers: Squash Blossoms, Iris, and Camellias
|author=The Fitzwilliam Museum|accessdate=2025-12-08 15:26:14|publisher=The
University of Cambridge}}
To call these data via our API (remember this needs to be authenticated) you can use this code snippet:
https://data.fitzmuseum.cam.ac.uk/api/v1/objects/object-317657
Updates about future exhibitions and displays, family activities, virtual events & news. You'll be the first to know...