A set of eight exquisite hand-coloured botanical prints of exotic flowers and butterflies, early 20th century.

Why we like them

Exquisitely hand-painted with lots of minute details, vibrant and luscious, these beautiful pictures are wonderfully decorative and will fit perfectly into a contemporary or an eclectic interior.

Floral illustrations were extremely popular in Europe in the 18th and 19th centuries. Ever hungry for exotic things from the mysterious Orient, European public quickly developed taste for exquisite decorative objects from Canton, including reverse glass or mirror paintings, as well as oils and watercolours, which had became one of the staples of the China Trade by the 19th century. While they were mostly painted on inexpensive pith paper, cut directly from the dense wood of a tree native to the Ginseng family, the more prestigious export water-colours had often been painted on fine Chinese paper or on paper imported from Europe. Because many were sold in albums and hence protected from the light, they retain their bright colours to this day.

Dimensions

Overall size 43.5 cm by 37.5 cm, size of plates 26.5 cm by 20.5 cm. In modern giltwood frames with double French mats.