Indian Shot (Canna indica)
Draughtsman: Unknown
This is a Chinese export watercolour depicting Canna indica, commonly known as Indian shot or canna lily. The striking coral-red flower emerges from the top of a sturdy green stem, showing the distinctive asymmetrical petals and prominent stamens. The blooms have narrow, pointed petals that create the plant's exotic tropical appearance. The large, broad leaves have parallel venation and elliptical shape. Next to the flower is a spherical brown seed pod with a textured surface. A Chinese inscription at the lower left corner reads “shuijiaohua水蕉花”, Indian shot. 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.
Method of acquisition: Bequeathed (1973) by Fairhaven, Henry Rogers Broughton
Watercolour
Bodycolour
White bodycolour
Support
composed of
paper
Paper
Height 314 mm
Width 399 mm
Watercolour : Watercolour and bodycolour with some white on thin paper, backed with second sheet, and both tipped in on the album sheet
Accession number: PD.133-1973.10
Primary reference Number: 32419
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) "Indian Shot (Canna indica)" Web page available at: https://data.fitzmuseum.cam.ac.uk/id/object/32419 Accessed: 2025-11-19 02:26:31
To cite this record on Wikipedia you can use this code snippet:
{{cite web|url=https://data.fitzmuseum.cam.ac.uk/id/object/32419
|title=Indian Shot (Canna indica)
|author=The Fitzwilliam Museum|accessdate=2025-11-19 02:26:31|publisher=The
University of Cambridge}}
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https://data.fitzmuseum.cam.ac.uk/api/v1/objects/object-32419
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