Beschreibung:

Anglo-chinese school (circa 1816) An album of original botanical watercolours, [?Canton: no date but mounts watermarked 1816]. 2° (454 x 365mm). 19 original watercolour and bodycolour drawings on thin laid paper, tipped onto wove-paper mounts (with occasional watermarks: 'J Whatman 1816'), all but two of the drawings bordered by applied blue or red silk ribbon. (Occasional small tears, some border ribbons lacking or detached). Unbound within contemporary vellum-backed floral paper-covered boards (some soiling and tears to paper covering). With the increase in European trade in China and the East Indies at the end of the 18th century came the subsequent rise in European patronage of natural history painting. When the Europeans arrived in Canton and Macao the Chinese painters realised that they were keen to commission drawings of the 'exotic' local flora to be sent back to Europe. The local artists meticulous style of painting needed little adjustment to satisfy the European's search for botanically accurate images and a flourishing trade quickly developed. Stock images were produced of fruit and flowers, but drawings were also produced on commission. The present selection seems to come from this latter category. Very few of the artists are now known by name, but the work of the best of them is certainly a match for anything being produced in Europe at the time. The drawings in the present album are as follows: 1. Rice ( Oryza sativa ), with three butterflies, 378 x 294mm. including red ribbon border. (Lacking three sides of the border) 2. Chrysanthemum ( Chrysanthemum sinensis ), 416 x 306mm. including red ribbon border. (Small tear to lower margin) 3. Leguminous climber ( Dolichis lablab ) entwined with a thorn bough (? Cratagus sinensis ), 306 x 417mm. including blue ribbon border 4. Sunflower ( Helianthus annus ), 425 x 314mm. including blue ribbon border. (One side of the ribbon border detached) 5. Cytisus ( Cytisus sp. ), 420 x 323mm. including red ribbon border 6. Orchid ( Phaius tankervilliae ), 420 x 312mm. including blue ribbon border 7. Prunus ( Prunus persica ), 425 x 320mm. including blue ribbon border 8. Belamcanda ( Belamcanda chinensis ), 410 x 314mm. including blue ribbon border 9. Hypericum ( Hypericum sinensis ), 420 x 312mm. including blue ribbon border 10. Orchid species, 418 x 314mm. including red ribbon border 11. Dame's violet ( Hesperis matronalis ), 415 x 312mm. including blue ribbon border. (25mm. tear to right margin) 12. Thornless thistle ( Sonchus species ), 415 x 320mm. including red ribbon border 13. Amaranthus ( Celosia cristata ), 413 x 320mm. including blue ribbon border 14. Lily ( Typhonium cuspidatum ), 420 x 318mm. including red ribbon border 15. Bean flower ( Vicia sativa ) and two insects, 375 x 320mm. including blue ribbon border. (Small hole and old creasing to lower right corner) 16. Commelina ( Commelina tuberosa ), 424 x 330mm. 17. Orchid ( Phaius sp. ), 325 x 393mm., with pencil inscription 'Zuc lan fa' to upper right. (Tear to lower left corner) 18. Aloe ( Aloe vera ), 424 x 347mm. including blue ribbon border. (Small hole upper right) 19. Pride of India ( Lagestroemia indica ), 422 x 304mm. including blue ribbon. (Torn in two horizontally about 20mm. up from lower edge, affecting image)