Painting, 'Camellia', watercolour and ink on paper, Guangzhou, China, 1800-1830

Rectangular watercolour painting depicting a flower on plain ground. The central stem holds four, four-petalled red flowers, two with visible yellow centres. The leaves are ovate in two shades of green. Mounted on brown tinted paper.

Unfamiliar flora and fauna had strong appeal to British botanists in the 18th/19th century, and such interest gradually filtered down to the general public. Travellers brought back to Britain foreign plants and more commonly, paintings depicting the numerous species of tropical flowers and fruits. The camellia, called 'shan cha' in Chinese, was and still is a common garden flower in south China.
Acquisition method and source not identified in the Asia Department registers, accessioned in 1886. This acquisition information reflects that found in the Asia Department registers, as part of a 2022 provenance research project.

The camellia, called 'shan cha' in Chinese, was, and still is, a common garden flower in south China. Unfamiliar flora and fauna were of great interest to British botanists in the 18th and 19th centuries, and such enthusiasm gradually filtered down to the general public. Travellers often returned to Britain with foreign plants and, more commonly, paintings depicting numerous species of tropical flowers and fruits.

D.296-1886