Two Chinese Botanical Watercolors
Hammer Price w/ BP
$1,180
| Lot #: 315 Two Chinese Botanical Watercolors |
| Win Achun and other artists. Second watercolor signed lower left. Originally bound these exquisite watercolors were according to an early auction catalog clipping, “executed expressly for the Late J. Roberts, Esq. (director and chairman of the East India Company) and are sold by order of his executors. It would be difficult to convey an adequate idea of the taste, beauty and spirit with which the drawings are executed, and I am assured by a very competent judge who was in China, when the drawings were made, that their fidelity is equal to their beauty. All the botanical drawings were submitted by the artist to the inspection and received the approbation of Mr. Kerr, the botanist, who was sent from Kev to China by his Britannic Majesty.” The subjects are presented as botanical specimens according to Western ideas. A sprig of foliage is shown where possible with a bud, a flower and immature and mature fruits or seed heads, with examples of both fruit and flowers dissected below. The artists illustrate botanical accuracy while retaining that fine Chinese tradition of design and delicacy, which almost brings the plants to life. |
| Site 16 1/2" x 13 1/2" |
|
Provenance John Roberts (director of the East India Company, catalogue entry from an early auction catalog); Wentworth Henry Canning, 2nd Viscount Allendale. The Peter Tillou Collection, Litchfield, Connecticut. |
|
Auction Date Sep 28, 2019 |
Shipping Information:
Unlike many auction companies, Cottone Auctions offers a full-service shipping department. We’re equipped to pack and safely ship just about any item to just about any location around the globe.
Learn more >
