Arabian jasmine
Painting
1800-1830 (made)
1800-1830 (made)
| Artist/Maker | |
| Place of origin |
The Arabian jasmine, called 'mo li' 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.
Object details
| Categories | |
| Object type | |
| Title | Arabian jasmine (generic title) |
| Materials and techniques | Watercolour and ink on Chinese paper |
| Brief description | Painting, 'Arabian Jasmine', watercolour and ink on paper, Canton, China, 1800-1830 |
| Physical description | Rectangular watercolour painting depicting a flower on plain ground. A small brown branch with a series of green stems gorwing small white flowers and circular green leaves. |
| Dimensions |
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| Style | |
| Object history | 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 Arabian jasmine, called 'mo li' in Chinese, was and still is a common garden flower in south China. Purchased from E. Parsons, accessioned in 1889. This acquisition information reflects that found in the Asia Department registers, as part of a 2022 provenance research project. |
| Subject depicted | |
| Summary | The Arabian jasmine, called 'mo li' 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. |
| Bibliographic reference | Souvenir from Canton : Chinese export paintings from the Victoria and Albert Museum, Shanghai, 2003
237 |
| Collection | |
| Accession number | D.1330-1889 |
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| Record created | October 30, 2002 |
| Record URL |
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